Family of Hathras victim to appear at the court today

Kin of Hathras Gang Rape victim to make a court appearance today

Monday, 12th October 2020

Hathras gang rape victim’s family to appear in the Lucknow legal bench of Allahabad High Court today. The victim Manisha aged 20 years was allegedly gang raped in UP’s Hathras and last month she succumbed to the injuries received during the rape at a Delhi hospital. Her dying triggered huge uproar and outrage nationwide. Early this morning the family of the deceased rape victim departed for Lucknow, the state capital.

"I am going with them. Proper security arrangements have been made. The district magistrate and superintendent of police is also accompanying us," said Anjali Ganwar, Sub Divisional Magistrate.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had confirmed about the tight security measures undertaken to safeguard the victim’s family and house. "There is sufficient security for the victim's family. The local police is in touch with the family and nearby villages. Officials have been conducting peace meeting in the nearby villages and appealed to them not to pay attention to the rumours," said Vineet Jaiswal, a top ranking police officer.

After the brutal gang rape incident of Hathras by 4 men from the "upper caste" and the over hasty cremation of the girl’s corpse in the dead of the night by the police has brought the government of UP under the anvil of major criticism and this incident has reminded all of another brutal gang rape that took place in Delhi during a fateful night of 2012. The country is shocked and is demanding stricter laws against such perpetrators. Much of the criticism is targeted towards the manner in which the victim’s family has been treated. Her family was allegedly shut indoors while the hasty cremation was being executed.

Shocked and angered by this incident the Lucknow legal bench of Allahabad High Court on the 1st of October had summoned the top officials of the government to appear at the court.

A legal division bench of which Justice Rajan Roy as well as Justice Jaspreet Singh were a part had ordered the additional chief secretary of UP, the UP police chief, the additional director general of police, the Hathras DM and SP to appear at the court to brief as well as explain the incident and give details of the probe as well.

"The incidents which took place after the death of the victim on September 29, 2020, leading up to her cremation, as alleged, have shocked our conscience. Therefore, we are taking suo moto cognizance of the same," read the court order.

Source: NDTV