New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh police have submitted 19 First Information Reports (FIRs) in relation to the Hathras case and the spate of protests following the horrific massacre and murder of a young Dalit. The state administration perceives an “international conspiracy” to smear the Yogi Adityanath government and increase tensions in the state. FIRs have come forward under strict laws, including sedition, attempts to incite violence and disturb the peace, and for violating COVID-19 protocols.
According to the Additional Managing Director (Law & Order), Prashant Kumar, these cases have been filed on the basis of FIRs registered across the state, including the state capital, Lucknow, Ayodhya and Hathras. A particular case has been filed at the Chandpa police station, Hathras, against those who allegedly tried to offer 50 lakh rupees to the victim’s family with the intention of disturbing the peace in the state, he said.
the Indian express informs that cases have been filed under the following articles: articles 109 (complicity if the instigated act is committed as a consequence and where its sanction is not expressly provided), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 124A (sedition), 153 A (promotion of the enmity) between different groups for reasons of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and carrying out acts detrimental to the maintenance of harmony) and four of its subsections, 153 B (imputations, assertions harmful to integration National), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of goods) of the Indian Penal Code
How The wire has reported that one of the FIRs, against the head of the Bhim army, Chandrasekhar Azad, and 400 other people, invokes the violation of Section 144 and sections of the Epidemic Diseases Law.
With a steady stream of politicians and activists from across the country to Hathras to meet with the victim’s family, the Adityanath government claims protesters are exploiting the case for their political ends. “There is a deep conspiracy in Hathras, we will investigate the truth,” Prashant Kumar was quoted as saying by NDTV.
This comes shortly after Adityanath’s warning to BJP workers recently that a conspiracy was being hatched against their government. “Those who don’t like development want to incite caste and communal unrest in the country and state and want to stop development,” Adityanath said after attending a review meeting for the upcoming by-elections to seven electoral districts. of the assembly, according to Indian express.
The state police have also claimed that they have made the website justiceforhathrasvictim.carrd.co unavailable, which apparently had information on how to safely protest and avoid the police. The site, which has now been taken down, according to police, has a role in the conspiracy.
Uttar Pradesh police have received severe criticism for enforcing curfew-like regulations in the area, with several platoons of police on the ground preventing politicians, activists and others from visiting the victim’s family.
The 19-year-old Dalit woman was attacked by four upper-caste men in her village on September 14, leaving her with horrific injuries, including fractures, a paralyzed spinal injury and a cut on her tongue.
The UP police have also come under severe criticism for their handling of the case itself and alleged attempts to cover up the accused, beginning with a delay in filing an FIR and culminating in the cremation of the victim’s body in the middle. of the night against the wishes of the family and without them present.
Police and state leaders have also tried to claim that the woman was not raped, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
.
