Hathras rape victim's cremation performed in a hurry, SIT formed

Hathras: Amid protest and demonstration by the villagers and family members, cremation of the body of the 19-year-old Dalit girl, died in New Delhi, on Tuesday was done in the early morning of Wednesday under heavy police cover.

The villagers along with the family members of the deceased girl were demanding the body to be taken to their house but the police did not allow it leading to the confrontation.The family of the Dalit woman from Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, who died in a Delhi hospital of injuries sustained when she was gang-raped, has alleged that she was forcibly cremated.

The body was brought on an ambulance at around 0100 hrs at Bulgarhi village under Chandapa police station area.When the police tried to take the body directly to the cremation spot  the family members and villagers blocked the way of the ambulance.

Later police had a tough time to control the situation and even there was a mild clash between the police and the villagers.

The body was taken out of the Safdarganj hospital in New Delhi at 2130 hrs after a heavy protest by political parties and it was brought to Hathras through Yamuna Expressway amid heavy police protection on the way.

Senior officials including Divisional commissioner JS Priyadarshi, IG Pitush Mordia, DM Pravin Kumar Lashar and SP Vikrant Veer were present in the village and tried to pacify the family members and the villagers. 

However, after much confusion, the body was cremated at around 0350 hrs, at the place which was situated around one kilometre away from the house of the deceased.

The girl was gang-raped and attacked by four people in the same village. The incident was reported to police on September 14 and was girl admitted to hospital in critical condition. 

 All four accused were arrested and the district authorities provided Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the family.

Authorities did not allow me to fulfil last wish of my daughter: Hathras victim's father

Hathras:Family members of the 19-year-old Dalit girl, who was raped and murdered by four men, was forcefully cremated by police without the consent of them.

The cremation was done at around 0315 hours amid protest by the family members and the villagers. It was also alleged that no family members were present during the time of the cremation.The father of the victim alleged that the authorities did not allow to fulfil the last wish of his daughter.

"My daughter said she wanted to come home. She succumbed to her injuries but we could not fulfil her last wish due to adamant attitude of the authorities," the tearful father said. 

The brother added that the authorities were in hurry and they wanted to do the cremation without my father, who reached the village well after the body.

"It appears that my sister has been cremated as the police are not telling us anything. We begged them to let us bring her body inside the house one last time, but they didn't listen to us," the victim's brother Sandeep told reporter here on Wednesday early morning.

He said that the ambulance, which brought the body from Safdarganj hospital in Delhi, was kept on the main road and police did not allow them to take the body inside the house. 

"The authorities had switched on the lights of the cremation ground and forced us to perform her last rites. We don't want to cremate her in the middle of the night, we want to take her home," Sandeep alleged. 

Several videos also showed the victim's mother pleading with police officials to let the body be brought home one last time.

However, district authorities claimed that the cremation was done as per the wish of the family members.Mr Prem Prakash Meena, the Joint Magistrate told reporters here that the last rites of the victim have been performed. 

"Police and administration will ensure that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice," he said.However, at 0216 hrs, the Hathras Police had tweeted that the cremation will be done "as per the wishes of the family".

The swift action of the authorities to cremate the body was due to the opposition protest in the country and if the body was taken to their house, then the cremation would have been possible only this morning.

The district authorities have claimed that the family of the victim joined the cremation and even her father and other relatives put a log on the pyre. They also released a video about their claim.

Yogi Adityanath sets up SIT on Hathras incident

Lucknow:After charges of forceful cremation of the body of the Hathras gang-rape Dalit victim, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday announced to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the gruesome incident.

The CM in a tweet this morning informed about the setting up of the three-member SIT to investigate the matter.

The SIT will comprise of Home Secretary Bhagwan Swarup, who will be the head, and other members are DIG Chandra Prakash and Commandant PAC Agra Ms Poonam.He has given a week to the SIT to submit their report.

The government has already ordered a trial of the case in the fast track court and has provided Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the victim's family.Meanwhile, all the four accused have been arrested.

PM talks to Yogi over Hathras issue, seeks stern action against culprits

Lucknow:With opposition on full throttle against the Uttar Pradesh government over the Hathras incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday morning talked to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the gruesome incident. 

Mr Adityanath tweeted about his talk with PM in which he stated that Mr Modi has asked him to take stern action against the culprits.

Though the details of the talks are yet to be disclosed, officials here said that the CM informed the Prime Minister about the action taken by the state government, including setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and giving a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the victim family. 

It is also reported that the CM has informed Mr Modi that the cremation of the girl's body was done in presence of her family members.

Mr Adityanath said that the government will go for a fast-track trial to punish the criminals. He, in a tweet on Wednesday morning, informed about the setting up of the 3 member SIT to investigate the matter.

The SIT, which has been given a week to submit the report, will comprise of Home Secretary Bhagwan Swarup, who will be the head, and other members are DIG Chandra Prakash and Commandant PAC Agra Ms Poonam.

With all four accused being arrested, the government has already ordered a trial of the case in the fast track court and has provided Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the victim's family.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has demanded the resignation of Yogi Adityanath over denial of cremation rights to the girl family. (UNI)