Hathras case: The 20-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped and tortured in Hathras.
Highlights
- Four men from the upper caste community have been charged by CBI
- The 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped and tortured on September 14
- UP police handling of the case led to angry protests across the country
A senior BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh has indicated that the UP Police failed to do their job properly in handling the gang-rape and murder case of a 20-year-old woman in Hathras district, days after the CBI charged the four accused of these crimes.
According to the CBI charge sheet, the 20-year-old Dalit woman was raped by the four men from the so-called upper caste community in Hathras on September 14. She later died due to her injuries at a hospital in Delhi. The victim was hurriedly cremated near her home, in the dead of the night on September 30, an incident that triggered outrage across the nation.
"The UP government has always stood with the family," UP Minister of State for Labour Sunil Bharala told NDTV. "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had decided the CBI should take over the case. He also did not trust that police will do their job well. It's not like all police officers are good. Saare police officers doodh ke dhule huye nahin hai... Right from Day 1 Yogi Adityanath ji has been with the family," Mr Bharala said.
The four accused in the alleged gang-rape and torture of the young Dalit woman were charged by the CBI last week of gang-rape and murder. The CBI has also invoked charges against the accused under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The probe agency filed its chargesheet before a court in Hathras, some 200 km from Delhi.
The handling of the case by Uttar Pradesh Police - particularly the late-night cremation of the victim allegedly without the family's approval - led to angry protests across the country. The officials, however, said the cremation was done "as per the wishes of the family".
In October, the Supreme Court said the Allahabad High Court will monitor the probe conducted by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).
The main accused had written to the Uttar Pradesh police from jail, claiming that he and the three other accused are being framed in the case and sought "justice" for the four men. He also accused the woman's mother and brother of torturing her. The woman's family has denied these allegations.
Earlier last week, the CBI sought more time to conclude its investigation following which the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday fixed January 27 as the next date of hearing in the case.