Hathras case: The police have been harshly criticized for forcibly cremating the woman’s body. (Proceedings)
New Delhi:
The 20-year-old Dalit woman who died days after being savagely assaulted by a group of men, sparking outrage and protests across the country, spoke of being raped for the first time more than a week after the incident, said a senior Uttar Pradesh police officer. Thursday, hours after a forensic report of her viscera suggested she was neither raped nor gang-raped.
Senior police officer Prashant Kumar told NDTV that the rape charges were filed based on the woman’s complaint and that possibilities were not ruled out until the investigation was concluded, but the forensic report had found no sperm in the samples. .
“We have always believed in the version of the victim of Day 1. The FIR was housed in the corresponding section. When the victim arrived with his brother and mother at the police station after an hour of the incident [on Sept 14], we registered the FIR in the corresponding sections and they sent it to the hospital, “he said.
“She was then transferred to Aligarh Muslim University Hospital. There, for the first time, on September 22, she spoke about sexual assault and we immediately added those sections and arrested everyone,” Kumar added.
“On September 25, the doctors took the forensic samples and the examination was carried out and then, taking into account her state of health, for better treatment she was transferred to Delhi and unfortunately there she passed away,” he said.
“Today we received the report from [forensic laboratory] FSL, which clearly says that there are no sperm or any other spots available in the sample that was collected. Now the investigating officer has a duty to consider all the available evidence and come to some conclusion, “Kumar said.
Pressed on whether the police had completely ruled out the rape, he said: “I am no one to conclude the investigation on camera. [The investigation] still continues. Since the mass rape case and this kind of thing were floating around everywhere, it was my duty to clarify that the FSL report has arrived and does not point towards rape. “
The most recent case of violence against women in Uttar Pradesh to make headlines, the 20-year-old woman from the Dalit community died of her injuries on Tuesday after being attacked on September 14 near her home, authorities said. Four men from so-called “upper caste” communities have been arrested.
Police and the administration have also come under harsh criticism for forcibly cremating his body the same night while members of his family were locked up in an apparent attempt to prevent a backlash. However, since then there have been protests in various parts of the country and more are planned in the coming days.
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