Confirming the speculations with comprehensive probes and solid evidences, the CBI today has charged all the four accused in the Hathras case with gangrape and murder of the 19-year-old Dali woman.
The incident that took place in September underwent major controversies as the UP police’s handling of the case was slammed by people across the country. With massive outrage pouring out from every nook and corner of the nation against the accused and UP cops, the case was transferred to the CBI. The probing agency then formed a team and gave the investigation duty to its Ghaziabad unit.
The news of the CBI filing a chargesheet against the four men was disclosed by the lawyer representing them outside the Hathras court where the officers of the agency have already begun presenting their case to the judge.
Along with charges of gangrape and murder, the CBI has also pressed sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities against scheduled caste/scheduled tribe) Act on the accused after 3 months of the incident.
Four men from the so-called upper-caste of Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, around 200 kms from Delhi, had allegedly raped a 20-year-old Dalit woman, further leaving her mangled body in the fields to die on September 14th.
Upon finding their missing daughter in such a condition, the villagers and parents of the victim took her to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Delhi. She was later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital where she died while getting treated for her injuries on September 29th.
The outcry bursted when the police cremated the victim without the permission of the family members at 3am on September 30th.
Videos showing the family begging the cops sitting in their jeep along with the victim’s body to let them cremate their child surfaced. The cries could be seen falling on deaf ears as the police went past the villagers and performed the final rites with guards at the cremation site.
However, the local police officers who conducted the funeral said that it was done “as per the wishes of the family” that further led to angry protests.
The top court took up the matter in October and directed the Allahabad High Court to monitor the investigation of the CBI.
Claiming to be “innocent” and demanding “justice”, the prime accused in the case had written a letter while in the jail to the Uttar Pradesh police saying that they were apparently framed in the case, while also seeking justice for him and the other three.
The man went on to counter accuse the victim’s mother and brother of torturing her. The family of the woman has denied these accusations.
The Central Bureau of Investigation visited the hospitals where the woman was getting treated as part of the probe and recorded the statements of her family members.
All the accused, namely, Sandeep, Ravi, Luvkush and Ramu were taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory of Gandhinagar where they were put through various forensic tests.
