A former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajveer Pahalwan called a mahapanchayat of upper caste members at his residence in Hathras on Sunday, amid the national uproar over the alleged gang rape and murder of a Dalit woman in the district. . During the meeting, Pahalwan said that the defendants who have been arrested in the case are not as guilty as if they were painted.
Pahalwan also welcomed the state government’s decision to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the matter, saying it will “reveal the truth about the incident.” Members of the upper caste also raised doubts that the woman’s family denied the drug test during the meeting.
Also read: Family of Hathras Gang Rape Victim Against CBI Investigation; SIT records declaration
The defenders, who participated in the mahapanchayat, said they will meet with the special investigation team (SIT), set up by the state government to investigate the matter, later in the day.
The state government on Friday ordered a “narcoanalysis polygraph test” for everyone involved in the case, including the woman’s relatives. The decision was made after the autopsy report conducted by the state government contradicted the woman’s claim that she was gang-raped on September 14. The family refused to submit to the drug test and demanded a judicial investigation through the Supreme Court on the matter. .
On September 29, the woman succumbed to her injuries at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. She was cremated by the authorities. The state police and the government have been questioned about their decision to incinerate the woman’s body in the dead of night without the presence of her relatives.
The family says the cremation was forceful and was carried out without the presence of their parents and relatives. However, the administration says it was done with the consent of the family.
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