Protesters Hit Streets, Demand Justice for Hathras Rape Victim

The Quint

September 30, 2020 at 3:38 a.m.·2 min read

Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui

Protests, led by Dalit groups, erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on Wednesday, 30 September, a day after 19-year-old woman who was allegedly gang-raped by four men succumbed to death.

Visuals from the protests showed that a large group of people, predominantly men, marched the streets of Hathras, demanding justice for the victim.

Uttar Pradesh police have been deployed across the district due to the ongoing protests.

She was allegedly gang-raped by 4 men while she was working in the fields on 14 September. The UP government has formed a 3-member SIT, more than two weeks after the alleged rape. #Hathras pic.twitter.com/TQSYER3jF3
— Mythreyee (@MythreyeeRamesh) September 30, 2020

Also Read: Hathras Rape: Cops Cremate Victim’s Body Without Info, Says Family

The 19-year-old passed away at Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital on Tuesday, 29 September. She was battling for life, first in Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Aligarh and later in Delhi, for almost two weeks.

She was allegedly raped by four men on 14 September, while she was working in the fields.

‘Her Body Cremated Without Informing Us’: Family Alleged

While her body reached her village in Hathras in an ambulance in the wee hours of 30 September, the victim’s family stated that the police had forcibly took her body and performed last rites, even when they wanted wanted to bring her home “one last time.”

“It appears that my sister has been cremated; the police are not telling us anything. We begged them to let us bring her body inside the house one last time, but they didn’t listen to us,” the victim’s brother told The Indian Express.

Videos on social media showed the victim’s mother pleading with police officials to let her take the body home.

Also Read: Hathras Rape: UP Govt Forms SIT; PM Modi Dials Adityanath

(With inputs from Vivek Mishra)