Hathras police denied parents of the gang-rape victim, last look at their daughter’s face
New Delhi/Hathras: There has been a nationwide outpouring of rage over the way the Hathras police cremated a 19-year-old girl, who died yesterday morning at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital two weeks after she was gang-raped and tortured in Hathras. The cremation was forcibly done at around 2.30 am amidst protests from the victim’s family members, who were thereafter allegedly locked up by the police in their homes. Television footage showed the mother of the girl weeping helplessly as the police denied her a last look at her daughter and took the dead body straight to cremation. The father of the victim said he had consulted other relatives and they all had wished the cremation to take place in the morning.
The police claimed the body had started decomposing. It further claimed that the cremation was done with the consent of the family members of the victim. However the girl’s father said categorically that “It is true that we didn’t get to see our daughter”. There are media reports suggesting that the police rushed the cremation in a bid to cover up their alleged lapses throughout the case. The girl’s relatives said earlier the police had even accused the girl of lying.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called up Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and sought strict action against the culprits. The CM informed him that a special team had been formed to probe into the incident and will submit its report in next seven days.
The state government announced a monetary compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the victim under the SC/ST Act. The victim’s father said he had spoken to CM Yogi Adityanath today and was assured that he will get justice.
Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav accused the police of destroying evidence and said this act was condemnable. He further charged that after Hathras, now there was another case of gang rape at Balrampur and there too the victim had succumbed to her injuries before reaching the hospital today. He called upon the UP government to act promptly and take action against the culprits.
Meanwhile Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: “There was an attempt to hush up the matter. The girl was not given timely treatment and a daughter is no longer among us. I want to say that Hathras’ Nirbhaya has not died, she has been killed — by a ruthless government, by its administration and by the UP government’s ignorance. When she was alive, she was not heard, she was not protected, and after her death she was deprived of her home. She was not handed over to her family and a crying mother was not even given the chance to bid goodbye to her daughter. This is a big sin…What kind of justice is this? What kind of a government is this? You think that you can do anything and the country will just keep looking? No, the country will speak out against your injustice.”
Accusing the UP police of “forcible” cremation, Sonia said the young woman was robbed of dignity even in her death and was cremated like an orphan.
The victim was brought to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital from Aligarh’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, where she was undergoing treatment after getting critically injured, just a day before she succumbed to her injuries. Hathras police said it was at around 10.30 am on September 14 when the victim’s brother had lodged a complaint against one Sandeep for strangulating his sister when she had gone to the field with her mother to collect fodder. On September 19, Sandeep was arrested. However the police had to wait till September 22 to record the victim’s statement as her condition was critical. It was then that the girl named three more persons and stated they had raped her. The police arrested all four rapists — Luvkush, Ravi and Ramu besides Sandeep — and sent them to jail. The police now says that the case will be tried by a fast-track court for rape and murder.
The station house officer (SHO) of Chandpa police station of Hathras district, under whose jurisdiction a 19-year-old Dalit woman was brutally gang-raped nearly a fortnight ago, has been transferred to the district police lines for his “failure to promptly act” on the case.
The National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) too issued notice to UP Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police over gang rape and brutality.
“Public is outraged by the way these police personnel behaved. What kind of humans are they.? Humanity doesnt exist anymore..a girl was gang raped..she died..n instead of consoling her parents..thy r into this act. Such a shame,” tweeted Sheen F, from Mumbai who described herself in her twitter profile as a teacher pursuing MBA.
Many celebrities have now taken to twitter to condemn the brutal rape and murder of the girl which is reminiscent of the Nirbhaya case that had shocked the nation a few years ago. While film star Akshay Kumar took to twitter to express his anger and frustration, he stated: ” Angry & Frustrated!Such brutality in #Hathras gangrape.When will this stop? Our laws & their enforcement must be so strict that the mere thought of punishment makes rapists shudder with fear!Hang the culprits.Raise ur voice to safeguard daughters & sisters-its the least we can do”.
Actress Swara Bhasker called upon the people to join her in solidarity at India Gate in New Delhi at 50 pm on 2nd October – the Gandhi Jayanti.
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli too tweeted that what Hathras was “inhumane and goes beyond cruelty”. He hoped that the culprits of this heinous crime will be brought to justice.
The Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad claimed that the UP police was trying to cover up the incident. Many protests march were organised across the country today. The students’ wing of the Congress Party, NSUI, took out a candle march in Darbhanga in Bihar demanding justice for the deceased by hanging the rapists.
Members of All India Students Association (AISA) too staged a protest near India Gate earlier today, demanding justice for the #Hathras gang-rape victim.
Even Yogi Adityanath’s own partyman and Member of Parliament from Delhi, Hans Raj Hans today wrote a letter to the UP CM, asking him to take “strict action” against officials responsible for the hasty cremation of the Hathras gangrape victim.
– globalbihari bureau
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