Hathras: The 19-year-old Dalit woman from Hathras, who died in a Delhi hospital after sustaining grievous injuries during an alleged gang rape, was cremated early Wednesday in her village amid tight security.
"The police have forcibly taken the body, and I was denied a last glimpse of my daughter, she was immediately taken (to the crematorium) by the police," the victim's father told ETV Bharat.
However, Hathras police have denied the charges and have issued a notice saying the coercion being talked about on social media is a canard. It said, "The family cremated the body with due rituals under the supervision of police and administration."
What happened on September 14
There was a prolonged dispute between two groups of the village under Chandpa police station in Hathras district. On September 14, the victim, her mother and brother had gone to the field to get fodder for their animals. Meanwhile, Sandeep, a boy of the other group, reached there and dragged the girl to the other end of the field, where three other people were waiting. After committing the heinous crime, they thrashed her brutally and broke her spinal cord, presuming that she was dead. The police took her to JN Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh, for treatment from where she was taken to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. She succumbed to her injuries on September 29.
None of the kin was allowed to take a last glimpse of the victim
The police devised a new way out to deliver justice to the victim’s family. Police reached the village with her body. There was a huge presence of police force in the village along with several other senior officials. At around 3 am, they performed the last rites of the body. The gross injustice was again meted out to the victim in her last journey of life. Police did not allow any of her kin in carrying the body to the cremation ground. Her father and brother were present in the house but none of them was allowed to lit her pyre. Hundreds of cops were standing surrounding the pyre so that no one could get close to it. Villagers were stopped at a distance from the place of cremation. Even the media was not allowed to get close to the cremation area.
What officials have claimed
While speaking to media, Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena said that the body was cremated with the help of family members. The police officials present at the spot were also confirmed that the pyre was lit according to the Hindu rituals.
While District Magistrate Praveen Kumar has claimed that the allegations made by the victim’s kin are totally 'baseless'.
"They were not only given a proper time but they themselves performed the last rites of the victim", added DM.
Why the matter has gained momentum across the country
The 19-year-old girl along with her mother and brother had gone to the field to bring fodder for the animals. Four youths of the village had been targeting her for quite some time. After getting the opportunity, Sandeep dragged her to the field where the four people raped her. After the heinous crime was committed, the girl mustered the courage to register her protest. Subsequently, the rapists thrashed her brutally. The perpetrators of the heinous crime pressed her neck so badly that her tongue was cut and she got unconscious. Presuming that she was dead, the rapists left her abandoned in the field and went away.
As the victim’s spinal cord was broken, there was no life left in the body. Her family members took her to Aligarh’s JN Medical College and Hospital. When she came to her senses, she narrated through gestures what transpired with her. She was not able to speak anything as her condition was quite serious and her tongue was cut. Despite all this, the police displayed total insensitivity on their part and did not treat the incident as one of gang rape and attempt to murder. No one was arrested even after 10 days of the incident.
The police were waiting for the victim’s statement, which was not possible as she had lost her tongue. When the details of brutalities the victim had been subjected started spreading, the resentment began brewing up among the people. Sensing the gravity of the matter, the police added sections of rape in the case filed and also arrested the accused.
Breathed her last at Delhi hospital
In her struggle for life, she was constantly inching towards her death. The doctors are JN Hospital, Aligarh, expressed their inability in managing the patient. Thereafter, the District Administration took her to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. During treatment, the helpless girl continued to narrate the brutality with which she was treated. Ultimately on September 29 mornings, she breathed her last.
Outrage on Twitter
On the morning of September 30, the body of the victim was consigned to flames. Most opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi of the Congress and Mayawati of the BSP have expressed their outrage against the heinous incident on their Twitter accounts. The UPCC chief Mr Ajay Kumar Lallu even protested in Lucknow against the heinous crime against Hathras Dalit girl.
Also Read: No reports of rape till now, says Aligarh IG on Hathras brutality
