Rahul Gandhi meets Hathras rape victim’s family
A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14, 2020
Agra: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the family members of a 19-year-old girl who was gang-raped and later died during treatment in Delhi in September 2020.
“Gandhi arrived at the village around 11.30 am and met the family at their house after receiving clearance from the CRPF post deployed for their security,” said an official from the local administration, who added that the police were caught by surprise.
Details on Gandhi’s visit are awaited.
A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14, 2020.
She died on September 29 at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital during treatment and was said to have been cremated in a hurry near her home on September 30. Her family alleged that the police delayed registering the FIR and locked them in their house while hurriedly conducting her last rites. However, local police officers stated that the cremation was carried out “as per the wishes of the family.”
Facing criticism over its handling of the case, the Uttar Pradesh government recommended a CBI probe. The CBI began its inquiry on October 10 amid nationwide outrage.
On October 12, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court said that the hurried cremation of the woman “is prima facie an infringement upon the human rights of the victim and her family.”
The CBI had charge-sheeted four upper-caste men for rape and murder under IPC sections 376 (rape), 376A (causing death or leaving the victim in a vegetative state), 376D (gang rape), and 302 (murder), along with Section 3(2)(v) (offense against SC/ST) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
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The accused had already been arrested by that time. The trial began in the SC/ST court of Hathras against the four men—Sandeep, Ramu, Lavkush, and Ravi—on charges of attempt to murder, gang rape, and violations of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
On March 2, 2023, an Uttar Pradesh court set free three of the four men accused in the 2020 Hathras case.
Sandeep Sisodia was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and under sections of the SC/ST Act, but was acquitted of the charge of rape, reports indicated.
Three of the accused, who were found not guilty, were released from the Aligarh district jail after serving about two years in imprisonment.
Family members say that they are waiting for the fulfillment of promises made to them, including a house away from Hathras, preferably in the National Capital Region (NCR), and a job.