'No room for apprehensions at this stage': MHA allays concerns over Hathras case probe

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that there was no room for apprehensions in the wake of CBI probing the Hathras gangrape case. In response to Congress MP Digvijaya Singh's unstarred question on the Centre's efforts to ensure justice for the Hathras victim, MoS MHA G Kishan Reddy stressed that the responsibility of investigation and prosecution of crime against women rests with the state government. To buttress his point, he mentioned that 'police' and 'public order' are state subjects under the 7th Schedule to the Constitution.

Noting that the probe in the Hathras case was transferred to the CBI on October 10, 2020, on the recommendation of the state government, Reddy said that the Supreme Court had empowered the Allahabad High Court to monitor the case. Referring to the SC's order dated October 27, 2020, he stated, "The Hon’ble Supreme Court inter-alia observed that it would be appropriate for the High Court to proceed to monitor the investigation in the manner in which it would desire, and that the CBI shall report to the High Court in the manner as would be directed by the High Court through its orders from time to time." So far, 4 persons have been arrested by the police in this case.

Read: 14 Months After Escaping Police Custody, Criminal Held After Gunfight In UP's Hathras

The Hathras case probe

A 19-year-old woman in a village in UP's Hathras district was reported to have been brutally gangraped by 4 men when she was collecting fodder for her cattle on September 14, 2020. The victim, who was initially admitted to a local hospital in Hathras was shifted for further treatment to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital. She succumbed to her injuries on September 29.

Initially, the UP government constituted a three-member SIT to probe the case. On the basis of the first report submitted by the SIT, Hathras Superintendent of Police Vikrant Vir, Commanding Officer Ram Shabd, Inspector Dinesh Kumar Verma, Sub Inspector Jagveer Singh and Head Constable Mahesh Pal were suspended. On the other hand, the CBI commenced its investigation after formally registering an FIR into the Hathras gangrape incident on October 11. 

On December 18, the CBI filed a chargesheet against 4 accused in the Hathras gangrape case before a special court in Lucknow. Charges of gangrape, murder and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been invoked against the accused persons- Sandeep, Luvkush, Ravi, and Ramu, who were put through several forensic tests at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar. The CBI team not only met doctors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital where the victim was treated but also recorded statements of her family members.

Read: Judicial Custody Of 4 Men Arrested On Way To Hathras Extended For 90 Days