Uttar Pradesh police threw a cordon of officers around the village in Hathras district where a 19-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped and killed two weeks ago, preventing journalists from meeting the family amid allegations that authorities confiscated the victim’s phones. relatives and put them under surveillance.
Since the early hours of Thursday, the police installed barricades about 2 km from the village on the main road, blocking all access roads and deploying policemen even on the mud tracks and in the fields, to prevent “outsiders” from entering. to the village.
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On Friday morning, a teenager who claimed to be the victim’s cousin approached journalists waiting at the barricades and alleged that the administration had locked up the family, seized their mobile phones and even beat the victim’s father. “The police have occupied our house. They have even positioned themselves on the terrace ”, alleged the boy.
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One villager said on condition of anonymity that, aside from the streets, the police are also camping outside the restrooms at the victim’s home. “It is difficult for the women in the house to go to the bathroom with policemen standing outside,” said the person, who left town under the pretext of meeting a doctor.
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The teenager said the family was desperate to meet the media. “My uncle (the victim’s father) also made an unsuccessful attempt to escape the village with me. I know the secret exit routes through agricultural routes by which I could do it, ”he said.
In addition, he alleged that the police cut off the family’s contact with the outside world. “They have taken over our mobile phones and are not allowing us to meet with the media. All we want is to talk to journalists about the pressure we are facing, ”she said. The teen said a superior officer even kicked the victim’s father in the chest on Wednesday, causing him to fall unconscious.
Police denied the charges, noting that section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, which prohibits the gathering of four or more people, was imposed in the area. A senior official said the ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was the reason for the restrictions. “The three-member SIT is conducting the investigation in the village. Until then, the entry of the media will remain restricted. We are also maintaining law and order. Therefore, no political delegations or individuals are allowed inside the village, ”said ASP Prakash Kumar in the afternoon.
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