The family left Hathras for the state capital, Lucknow, some 380 km away, early this morning. (Proceedings)
Amid tight security, the family of the 20-year-old woman, allegedly gang-raped and tortured in Hathras of Uttar Pradesh, will appear today before the Lucknow court of the Allahabad High Court. The woman died in a hospital in Delhi last month, two weeks after the alleged assault and torture that sparked widespread outrage.
The family left Hathras for the state capital, Lucknow, some 380 km away, early this morning. “I am going with them. Adequate security arrangements have been made. The district magistrate and the police superintendent are also accompanying us,” Anjali Ganwar, a subdivision magistrate, was quoted as saying by the ANI news agency.
UP Police said Sunday about security arrangements around the victim’s home. “There is sufficient security for the victim’s family. Local police are in contact with the family and nearby villages. Officials have been holding peace meetings in nearby villages and have asked them not to heed the rumors. “Senior Police Officer Vineet said. Jaiswal told ANI.
The 20-year-old woman from Hathras was allegedly gang-raped and assaulted by four “upper caste” men from her village. The state government has come under strong criticism for handling the case that many have compared to the 2012 gang rape in Delhi, which required stricter laws. Much of that criticism has been about the treatment of the traumatized family of the young woman allegedly locked in their home while the victim was hastily cremated.
“Shocked” by the alleged gang rape and murder of the 20-year-old woman and her subsequent forced cremation by the police, on 1 October the Lucknow court of the Allahabad High Court had summoned senior government officials to the court.
A division bench of Judge Rajan Roy and Judge Jaspreet Singh had ordered the additional Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, the state police chief and an additional chief police officer to appear before him to explain the incident. The court also ordered the Hathras district magistrate and the police superintendent to appear to inform the court, including the ongoing investigation.
“The events that occurred after the death of the victim on September 29, 2020, which led to his cremation, as alleged, have shocked our conscience. Therefore, we are becoming aware of them,” said the court in your order.
(With contributions from ANI)
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