“If my children are guilty, shoot them dead. But if they turn out innocent, I want to be compensated for my loss of reputation, ”said Rakesh Singh, father of Ram Kumar, 35, one of four men arrested for allegedly gang-raping and murdering a 19-year-old. one year old dalit in Hathras. The others are Sandeep Singh, Ravi Singh, and Luv Kush.
His sentiment is shared by many residents of Bul Garhi village who are convinced that the four men are being framed.
It turns out that the four men belong to a large joint family consisting of about 30 members. They have a history of conflict with the victim’s family, a history in which an FIR was recorded, two men were imprisoned and acquitted.
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According to a high-ranking police officer who did not want to be identified, in 2001-02, the two families were involved in a property dispute. “He ended up with the victim’s father with a head injury. An FIR was registered under the IPC sections of attempted wrongful death, assault and under the SC / ST Law, ”said the police officer.
The murdered woman’s mother said her family completely forgot. “But the Thakurs did not forget.”
Rakesh Singh said his family was wrongly targeted even in that 18-year-old case.
Also in the latter case, Singh’s family insisted that the detainees were innocent. “The family of the dead woman asked us to borrow money and cut grass for their buffalo in our fields, but now they want to incriminate us in another case,” said another relative who did not identify herself.
They claimed that one of the suspects, Ram Kumar, was not even in the village at the time of the crime. “He works for a dairy company and was on duty at the time,” said a third relative.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the village remained tense on Saturday even when the victim’s brother alleged that he had received threats from the Thakur community.
“I don’t know why they feel threatened by us, but if they feel threatened, they will continue to feel it all their lives. The threat is not ours, it is in their minds, ”said Rakesh Singh.
Most of the villagers HT interacted with expressed support for the accused. Some offered alternative theories. But the woman, in her death statement, named the four suspects as her rapists and murderers, something that surpasses conspiracy theories.
This town of around 450 voters has only half a dozen Dalit households, even though Thakurs and Brahmins make up around 80% of the population. “Our community has been defamed through no fault of our men,” said a local resident, Ravi Sharma.
Awanish K Awasthi, additional chief secretary, said authorities have met with local leaders to ensure peace in and around the village. “The town will continue to receive police security. Senior police officers have been given the responsibility of ensuring peace. ”
The few Dalit families in this village stayed home. “Once the police leave, it will be more difficult to survive here as a minority,” said one Dalit who did not want to be named.
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