Friday, 02 October 2020 | PNS | New Delhi
Hathras Dist Admin under cloud for threatening victim’s family
In her dying declaration the 19-year-old victim of the Hathras sexual assault said she was gangraped by four men, but the Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday claimed that the forensic report has revealed that the woman was not raped. The administration has also come under a cloud for allegedly threatening the family members of the victim.
Facing charges of cover-up and denying the victim the dignity of traditional cremation, the police cited a forensic science laboratory (FSL) report to say that the cause of her death is an injury on the neck and trauma resulting due to it.
“The FSL report has clearly said that no sperm or ova were found in the samples collected from the vaginal swab, said ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar.
He said that along with the FSL report, the postmortem report has suggested that the cause of death was trauma following injury in the neck.
“Even the woman in her statement to police did not mention about rape but talked about ‘marpeet’ (beating) only,” he said. The police officer overlooked the fact that the amended definition of rape did not necessary involved sexual act but a wide range of gesture, verbal comments and physical contact.
The CM has already ordered strict exemplary action against the guilty, the police officer pointed out.
“For disturbing social harmony and create caste violence, some persons wrongly presented facts,” the UP police officer said.
“Police took immediate action in the case and now we will identify those who tried to disturb social harmony and create caste violence,” the ADG added, stressing that people “distorted facts” in the media.
However, so far the police have not revealed what the arrested accused have told them about the crime. The victims family have repeatedly told the media that the girl was gangraped and the victim herself said the same in her dying declaration.
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased woman has alleged “threats and pressure” from Hathras District Magistrate (DM). A video of the DM threatening the family members has gone viral.
“These media people… some left today and tomorrow more will leave. Only we will be here with you. Ok? It is up to you whether you want to change your statement or not. We can also change,” District Magistrate Praveen Kumar Laxkar is heard saying in the video filmed on mobile phone.
In another video, the victim’s sister-in-law is seen crying and saying, “They are putting pressure on us. They are saying that if our daughter had died of coronavirus then she would have received compensation. They are saying the case will be rafaa-dafaa (disposed of). We are getting warnings. Our father is getting warnings.”
“They are threatening us with videos of (the victim’s) mother. At that time she was speaking whatever came to her mind… They will not let us live here. The DM is very cunning, he is trying to trick us. They are pressurising us. They are forcing us and saying our statements are not reliable, we keep changing our statements and we have no credibility.”
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the Hathras Dalit girl’s rape and murder case recorded the statements of the victim’s family members on Thursday. The statements of policemen concerned, including suspended SHO of Chandpa police station and SP Vikrant Veer Singh were also recorded.
