Infamous for its nexus with the criminals and stage-managed encounters, Uttar Pradesh police, in utter disregard to human rights, allegedly forcibly cremated the SC girl, who had been brutally assaulted after being gangraped by four youths in Hathras district and died in the hospital, after 'holding' her family 'hostage' at their house in their native village.
Enraged members of the SC community later came out on the streets and forced closure of shops and business establishments in the town prompting the police to make a lathi charge. Tension prevailed in the district, sources said.
UP government has formed an SIT to probe the matter and submit its report within seven days. It also announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to the next of the kin of the victim.
While the family members of the victim accused the police of not allowing them to perform her last rites, the cops claimed that their permission was obtained before cremating the victim.
''The police are lying....they locked us up in our house...we were not allowed to even see her face and perform the last rites in accordance with our religion...the cops used force when we embarked on a dharna,'' said the brother of the victim on Wednesday.
According to the sources, the body of the victim reached her native village around midnight on Tuesday in an ambulance from Delhi. The police allegedly wanted to cremate the body in the night itself though the family members said that their religion did not allow cremation after Sunset.
The cops dragged the family members away and used force when they tried to block the path of the ambulance, sources said. Videos from the spot showed the scuffle between the cops and the local residents.
While the opposition leaders launched a scathing attack on the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and sought his resignation on moral grounds, prime minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the CM and asked for a stern punishment to the culprits.
According to the police sources here, all the four accused, who hailed from the native village of the victim, have been arrested.
The victim had suffered serious injuries on her neck, face, back, and stomach and was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi on Monday after her condition worsened. She was paralysed in all four limbs and had to be put on a ventilator.
The incident triggered a massive outrage with the opposition leaders targeting chief minister Yogi Adityanath for failing to ensure the safety of the women in the state.