Hathras gang-rape: NCP hits out at UP government

The NCP on Wednesday criticised the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over the Hathras gang-rape victim's family being allegedly denied the right to perform her last rites.

Amid allegations by the 19-year-old victim's family that the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night, Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil termed it as "inhuman and unfortunate".

The body of the Dalit woman, who died in a Delhi hospital on Tuesday, a fortnight after she was gang-raped, was cremated in Hathras in the early hours of Wednesday.

Local police officers told PTI that the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

Patil in a tweet in Hindi said, "Final rites of Indias daughter were performed during early hours in the absence of her family members. This behaviour of the Uttar Pradesh government is inhuman and unfortunate." "Daughters are not being respected when they are alive nor while they are dead," he added.

In an apparent reference to Adityanaths recent announcement of renaming the Mughal museum in Agra after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Patil said the chief minister has no right to take the warrior kings name if he cannot form a state of justice and equality.

He asked Adityanath to first seek inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs work when he takes his name.

Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister and NCPs national spokesperson Nawab Malik accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of becoming complicit in depriving the gang-rape victim every single human right even in death.

"I strongly condemn this inhuman and shameful act by the #UPPolice and lend strength and support to the family of the deceased and demand a probe in the matter at the earliest, Malik tweeted.

"It is the time when the deductive use of the Centres Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme should be evaluated in real life to deliver justice and not just for gaining momentum on television to build vote banks," he said.

"It is high time we put an end to such casteism, and @myogiadityanath Ji stop giving criminals hold power over victims, Malik added. 

Image credits: PTI

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