Hathras gangrape: Family accuses UP police of forcibly cremating victim’s body at midnight

The body of the Dalit woman who was gangraped and murdered allegedly by four men in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, was cremated at 2.45am on Wednesday.

It was alleged that the police were forcibly trying to get her body cremated in the middle of the night. The family had said that they will not cremate the body in a hurry and will wait till they get justice . The family also claimed that they follow Hindu rituals and not cremate the body at night.

Earlier in the day, the father and brother of the Hathras gangrape victims sat in protest outside the hospital claiming that her body had been taken away without their permission.

They were joined in protest by workers from Congress as well as the Bhim Army. As the crowd at Safdurjung Hospital swelled, security was heightened at the hospital.

Delhi Police later claimed that the family was not sitting on a dharna and said that the issue was “hijacked by different groups”.

“We have talked to the victim’s family members. The last rites of the victim have been performed keeping in view of peace situation here. Four accused have already been arrested. Police and administration will ensure that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice,” Prem Prakash Meena, Hathras Joint Magistrate told a news agency.

The woman was raped in a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. The four accused had tried to strangle her to death as she resisted their rape attempt and in the process, she also ended up biting her tongue and suffering a severe cut on it. The accused have been arrested. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

As news of her death spread, protests broke out in Delhi as well as in Hathras with all sections of society, including politicians, sports and cine stars and activists, expressing their anguish and demanding justice for her.

Meanwhile Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a 3-member panel to probe the Hathras gangrape and death case and asked the team to submit a report.

The probe panel will be monitored by UP home secretary Bhagwan Swarup. The panel will also comprise members from the Dalit community along with women members. CM has also ordered fasttracking of the Hathras rape case.