Updated: October 1, 2020 1:07:47 pm
The funeral pyre of Hathras’s victim, hours later. (Express photo: Amil Bhatnagar)
As the UP government established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged gangrape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman For four upper caste men in Hathras, and their deaths, several of the Dalit MPs from the ruling BJP state told The Indian Express that the incident has “undermined” the image of the administration and is “politically damaging”.
Parliamentarians, however, blamed “deep-seated castes and corruption in the police” for the incident, while expressing their confidence in the state government.
On Wednesday, following a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath formed a three-member SIT to investigate the incident and asked him to submit a report within seven days.
Read | Kailash Vijayvargiya on Hathras Gangrape: ‘Vehicles can tip over at any time in Yogi’s UP’
Facing protests and widespread outrage, the state also said it would establish a fast-track court to hear the case. In addition, he announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the victim’s family, a government job for a family member and a house in the city of Hathras under the State Agency for Urban Development.
UPCC President Ajay Kumar Lallu participates in a candlelight protest march over the death of a Dalit woman from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, who was gang-raped on 14 September in Lucknow on Tuesday. (PTI)
However, at least four Dalit MPs from the BJP described the police action, including the rushed cremation without involving the victim’s family, as “reprehensible” and said that “there must be a proper investigation”.
Kaushambi MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, who headed SC Morcha of the BJP until recently, said: “Certainly, the incident has undermined the image of the state and the government. It is politically damaging to us. It is a loss of face for us. But the state government is doing everything possible to achieve justice for the family. “
Read | After Hathras: 22-year-old Dalit woman raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh
Sonkar blamed such incidents on a “police system and bureaucracy that have become entrenched in corruption and castes.”
Women workers from the Samajwadi Party wing clash with police personnel during their protest over the death of a Dalit woman from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, who was gang-raped on 14 September in Lucknow on Tuesday. (PTI)
“It is not a problem that has been created in recent years, it has been there for some time. In this state, the former SP and BSP governments had distributed posts in the police and bureaucratic system on behalf of the caste. In fact, some of us even told the Chief Minister that those who still owe allegiance to these parties are smearing the BJP and this government, ”said the deputy from Lok Sabha.
Another Dalit MP, who did not want to be identified, warned that the incident could affect the party’s prospects in the Bihar elections from 28 October.
Kaushal Kishore, a deputy from Mohanlalganj, accused the UP police of “harassing the poor and Dalits.” “They will try to cover up the atrocities committed against them. The government should make sure that these police officers are punished. But I am sure that this government will take action against the culprits, ”Kishore said.
The death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman, who was brutally attacked two weeks ago in Hathras, sparked nationwide outrage. Many activists and protesters added their voices to the chorus of condemnation. In West Bengal, the student wing of Congress held a protest in front of Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
Barabanki MP Upendra Singh Rawat said Dalits in the state are “very upset” by the incident. “The act has to be condemned. It is not just because I am a Dalit girl, such incidents should not happen to anyone. I am sure that the government will not release anyone, be it a policeman or anyone else, “he said.
Editorial | Impunity in Hathras
“When the victims are Dalits or backward castes, justice and action are sometimes delayed because they are weaker. The government will suffer a loss of prestige if the culprits are not punished, ”he said.
Misrikh deputy Ashok Kumar Rawat described the police action as “reprehensible”. “The guilty should be punished, be it the police or anyone. But we also need to find out how and why this happened, ”he said.
When protests broke out in various parts of the country and political leaders and activists voiced their protest at the way the funeral was carried out near the woman’s home in a village in Hathras, a local police officer said it took carried out “according to the wishes of the family”.
Prime Minister Adityanath, meanwhile, said the SIT was formed after the prime minister ordered it to ensure “strict action against those responsible.” “The culprits of the Hathras incident will not be released,” Adityanath posted on Twitter.
The SIT will be headed by Interior Secretary Bhagwan Swaroop, with UP DIG Chandraprakash Police and Agra Commander PAC Poonam as the other members.
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