Hathras rape victim’s body forcibly taken away for cremation by UP police, alleges family; police deny claim | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Hathras rape victim’s body forcibly taken away for cremation by UP police, alleges family; police deny claim

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Byhindustantimes.com | Edited by Arpan Rai
Sep 30, 2020 08:30 AM IST

The family claimed that the woman’s body was taken away by the police in the middle of the night for final rites.

The family of 19-year-old Dalit woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, who died in a Delhi hospital of injuries sustained when she was gang-raped, has alleged that she was forcibly cremated.

Security heightened outside Safdarjung Hospital, where Congress & Bhim Army workers are holding a protest demanding justice for Hathras gang-rape victim, in New Delhi on Tuesday.(ANI)
Security heightened outside Safdarjung Hospital, where Congress & Bhim Army workers are holding a protest demanding justice for Hathras gang-rape victim, in New Delhi on Tuesday.(ANI)

The family claimed that the woman’s body was taken away by the police in the middle of the night for final rites.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“The police have forcibly taken the dead body, and my father along with them for cremation. When my father reached Hathras, he was immediately taken (to the crematorium) by the police,” the woman’s brother told news agency PTI.

The body of the woman reached her village around midnight and the cremation was done by 3 am on Wednesday.

The villagers claimed that they wanted to take the body of the woman to her house, but administration pressed for cremation at the earliest. The passage for ambulance was blocked and finally cremation took place in village.

The police, meanwhile, said that the cremation of the woman was carried out by the family members. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikrant Veer denied any “urgency” by police in cremation despite the fact that cremation usually do not take place in night.

He added that the cremation was done as usual after the body reached Boolgarhi village in Hathras district.

He claimed that the situation is calm in the village, but heavy police force has been deployed.

Also read | ‘We hoped she will survive’: Unease shrouds Hathras rape victim’s village

The woman was raped in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras village by four men on September 14 and died a fortnight later after battling serious injuries. The woman was first taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Aligarh, but shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi after her condition deteriorated.

She was in a critical condition and on ventilator support.

The brutality against the teenager has sparked outrage across the country with several political leaders, Bollywood actors and activists demanding justice for her.

The case has drawn parallels with the gang rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi, who was attacked on a moving bus and left to die on a roadside in 2012.

“A Dalit girl who was a victim of demoniac behaviour in Hathras has passed away at Safdarjung Hospital. For two weeks, she kept struggling between life and death in hospitals,” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said on Twitter. She added that incidents of rape in Hathras, Shahjahanpur, and Gorakhpur had shaken the state.

Also read: Outrage, stir after Hathras rape victim’s death

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded that the guilty be tried and hanged at the earliest. “The death of Hathras victim is shameful for the entire society, country as well as for all the governments. It is highly sad that so many daughters are being sexually assaulted and we have not been able to protect them,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

The four people accused of raping the woman have been arrested.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On