AGRA: A team from the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) met the family of the 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras — who died after she was allegedly gang-raped and assaulted — on Monday and demanded action against the Hathras district magistrate for allegedly threatening the family, calling the aftermath of the incident a “murder of democracy”.
DCW member Sarika Chuadhary said it was “unacceptable” that the victim was cremated in the absence of the family by Hathras DM Praveen Kumar Laxkar. “We don’t trust the state government or police or investigating agencies working under the guidance of the government,” she told reporters after meeting the family, adding that justice would only be given by the Supreme court.
The DCW had earlier written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to urge the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the incident. On being asked about the initial medico-legal report of the hospital claiming “signs of force” and later ruling it out, Chaudhary said, “The entire system is under the same government…”
Chaudhary also uploaded a video statement on her Twitter account, claiming that the victim’s kin seem to be “scared and insecure”. “Government and police are trying to divert the issue. This is what we have concluded after talking to several people,” she said, adding that the state and central government are ruled by the same party so the family has little expectations of justice. “The probe should be monitored by a Supreme Court judge,” she said.
Meanwhile, Babasaheb Ambedkar’s great-grandson, Rajratan, who has offered legal aid to the family said he would help them move out of the village within a week. “They are not safe here, especially from police,” he said.
