The 19-year-old Hathras gang-rape victim, who was battling for her life in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, succumbed to the critical injuries on September 29 (Tuesday) morning. She had been referred from Aligarh’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College to Delhi a day earlier.
Speaking about the incident, the sheer brutality of which has left the nation reeling in shock, the victim’s family demanded that the accused must be awarded nothing but death penalty. The family was informed about her passing away at 6 AM today. “We want justice for her. The accused should not be spared. They must be hanged,” the victim’s brother said.
Fast-track trial
Hathras Police has arrested four men in connection with the case on Saturday. The accused had been booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and later charged with gang-rape under section 376 D, Hathras ASP Prakash Kumar said. He added that the case will be tried by a fast-track court.
Official statement by DM and SP Hathras in PS Chandpa matter.@AwasthiAwanishK @dgpup @ShishirGoUP @Uppolice @adgzoneagra @igrangealigarh @ANINewsUP @News1IndiaTweet @News18UP @NavbharatTimes pic.twitter.com/hcD705UhJt
— HATHRAS POLICE (@hathraspolice) September 29, 2020
As per a statement released by the police, the accused Sandeep was arrested on 19th September, 2020 and a case has been registered against three more accused: Lavkush, Ravi and Ram Kumar. All three have since been arrested. Under the SC/ST Act, the victim’s family will be given monetary compensation of Rs 10 lakh.
Hathras police denies social media reports of brutality
Days after the heinous act, social media was rampant with reports detailing brutality of the gang rape that the girl’s spinal cord was broken and her tongue cut off by the perpetrators. However, Hathras Police in a statement today denied the allegations.
‼️खण्डन/Denial‼️
— HATHRAS POLICE (@hathraspolice) September 29, 2020
➡️ कतिपय सोशल मीडिया के माध्यम से यह असत्य खबर सार्वजनिक रुप से फैलायी जा रही है कि “थाना चन्दपा क्षेत्रान्तर्गत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण घटित घटना में मृतिका की जीभ काटी गयी, आँख फोडी गयी तथा रीढ की हड्डी तोड दी गयी थी
हाथरस पुलिस इस असत्य एवं भ्रामक खबर का खंडन करती है pic.twitter.com/tyBTi1xZhp
As per the statement, the medical report does not state that her tongue was cut or her eyes damaged. The police has also denied reports on her spinal cord being broken. Police statement says that the medical report states her spinal cord as well as her tongue was injured while the perpetrators tried to kill her by strangling her.
Hathras gang-rape
In what traspired on September 14, the victim had gone to the field to collect fodder when a group of men attacked her from behind. The teenager was dragged by a dupatta around her neck, which probably caused the spinal injuries, to a field where she was allegedly raped.
The accused, who were nabbed on Saturday, had tried to strangulate her to death as she resisted them. In the process, she had ended up biting her tongue and suffering a severe cut on it, police had said.
The station house officer (SHO) of Chandpa police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, under whose jurisdiction a 19-year-old Dalit woman was brutally gang-raped nearly a fortnight ago, has been transferred to the district police lines for his “failure to promptly act” in the case.
The body of the victim would be brought to the village after the postmortem, confirmed Hathras ASP Prakash Kumar.
