New Delhi: Even as entire India including leading politicians expressed despair and anger over the brutal rape and assault resulting in death of 19-year-old Dalit woman from Hathras, the Uttar Pradesh Government has set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the heinous crime.
The SIT comes within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure strict action against those responsible for the crime.
The SIT has been given seven days to submit its report to the UP Chief Minister. A fast-track court will begin hearing the case.
"We will not let go the culprits of Hathras incident. An SIT has been formed to investigate the matter and it will submit a report within seven days. To ensure early justice, the case will be run in a fast track court," Adityanath tweeted.
The SIT will be headed by Home Secretary Bhagwan Swaroop. UP Police DIG Chandraprakash and Agra PAC Commandant Poonam are the other members.
Meanwhile, the incident has evoked anger and outrage not just from the citizens but several political leaders. Social media has been flooded with messages of exasperation and grief. Sharp reactions have also come in against the manner in which the UP Police allegedly cremated the body of the woman at 2.30 AM while the family was locked up.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra had sought UP CM Adityanath's resignation. In a series of tweets, Priyanka has expressed her anguish about the manner the UP Police handled the cremation. In one of her tweets she mentioned that she was on the phone with the victim's father and she could hear him 'cry out in despair' when he heard the news of his daughter's death.
"The Hathras victim was first raped by some men and then yesterday, she was brutalised by the entire system. The whole episode is very painful," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. He had also raised questions about if the SIT will be able to investigate the people who had ordered the cremation in haste.
"A daughter of India has been raped and murdered. Fact are suppressed and in the end, her family's rights to perform the last rites are snatched away. This is insulting and unjust," Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
"Even criminals are allowed dignified cremation. Here is a rape victim being cremated by police at 2:30 am without family members. Could this happen if the family was not dalit? This is a matter of national shame. Our own George Floyd moment," Yogendra Yadav tweeted.
Certain visuals have emerged that show the woman's relatives throwing themselves on the hood of the ambulance carrying the body trying to stop the ambulance.
The woman succumbed to her injuries two weeks after she was dragged into the fields, gangraped by four upper caste men of UP. She was brutally assaulted that left her with multiple fractures and severe spinal injuries. Her tongue was cut off too. She was also strangulated with her dupatta.
The victim was initially admitted to a district hospital 15 days ago. She was later shifted to Aligarh hospital and then shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
The four men have been arrested based on a statement provided by the victim on September 23, when she briefly regained consciousness.
The Congress and the Bhim Army activists staged a protest outside Safdarjung Hospital. Members of the Delhi Mahila Congress also staged a protest at Vijay Chowk demanding justice for the victim.
Last month, a 13-year old girl was raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh.
UP the Hotbed of Crime Against Women? Assam Closing In?
While India reported 4,05,861 cases of crimes against women in 2019. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 59,853 such incidents, according to the annual National Crime Record Bureau's "Crime in India" 2019 report. Uttar Pradesh also had the highest number of crimes against girl children under the POCSO Act with 7,444 cases, followed by Maharashtra (6,402) and Madhya Pradesh (6,053).
From 2018, the rate of crime against women has risen by 7.3%, with the country recording an average 87 rape cases every day in 2019. Assam reported the highest rate of crimes against women at 117.8 per lakh population.
According to 2018 statistics shared by NCRB, 33,356 rape cases were reported across the country, translating in to 91 rapes daily on an average.