Hathras case: Allahabad HC takes suo motu cognisance, issues notices to UP govt

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has taken a suo motu cognizance of the gangrape and death case of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras. The Court on Thursday sought a response from senior state officials including the additional chief secretary (Home), Director General of Police, additional chief secretary (Law and Order), and Hathras district magistrate and superintendent of police by October 12.

A 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14 in a field, leaving her in a critical condition. When her condition worsened, she was referred to AIIMS but was admitted to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on Monday with spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and cuts in her tongue. She died around 3 am on Tuesday, but her autopsy report has no mention of rape. Reports state that initially, the police had refused to add rape charges to the FIR against the accused, claiming that there were no injuries on private parts of the victim. This led to a massive protest by Dalits, political parties alike.

The case took an ugly turn when UP police cremated the victim's body at 2:30 AM on Wednesday allegedly without the family's consent. However, state ADG Prashant Kumar stated that the funeral was conducted with the consent of the family - the force has been pulled up by the NCW for this 'hurried cremation'. The ADG has also claimed that the Hathras gangrape victim was 'not raped' after the postmortem report stated 'neck injury and trauma' as the cause of death.

READ | Hathras Victim's Autopsy Report Cites Trauma To Neck As Cause Of Death; Rape Not Mentioned

READ | Hathras Rape: Aligarh Medical College Principal Says Victim Was Referred To AIIMS, Not Safdarjung Hospital

Yogi forms SIT, Gandhis arrested

On Wednesday, UP CM Yogi Adityanath constituted a three-member SIT to probe into the incident. The team which will send a report within seven days comprises of state Home Secretary Bhagwan Swarup and members of the Dalit community and women. The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh and a house along with a government job to one family member, with the CM speaking to the family via video-link assuring the deceased's father of stringent action against the accused.

Congress, which mounted a massive protest against the Adityanath government, was led by the Gandhi siblings - Rahul and Priyanka walking towards Hathras on Thursday. With the district magistrate imposing section 144 in Hathras, both leaders were stopped by police while trying to enter the district. When the Gandhis insisted proceeding on foot, UP police arrested the Gandhis, Congress leaders - Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, KC Venugopal, and Randeep Surjewala.

READ | Hathras Horror: UP ADG Now Claims 'No Rape'; Threatens Action For Stoking Caste Tensions

READ | Hathras Horror: Sanjay Raut Takes Jibe At BJP 'silence', Rakes In Own Tussle With Kangana