Hathras horror: CM Yogi Adityanath vows to 'set an example' with strict punishment

Amid severe backlash over the horrific Hathras gangrape, CM Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, vowed to set an example of rape accused by meting the strictest punishment. Assuring 'sisters and mothers' of Uttar Pradesh, he said that his administration was committed to their safety and development. A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras which has sparked a major protest. 

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Yogi assures 'safety of women'

Hathras Horror: TMC's Derek O'Brien mandhandled & shoved to ground; shocker caught on cam

Political leaders & media denied entry

As protests grew large over the Hathras horror, Congress mounted a massive protest against Yogi govt led by the Gandhi siblings - Rahul and Priyanka walking towards Hathras on Thursday. With the district magistrate imposing section 144 in Hathras for a month, the Gandhis and their retinue which included Congress leaders - Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewal were stopped from entering and then detained by UP police - citing lockdown violation. Similarly, media persons too have been stopped from entering the district as section 144 continues to be imposed to maintain 'law& order' in the district, as claimed by the police.

Earlier in the day, Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Pratima Mondal and Ex-MP Mamata Thakur too were violently pushed to the ground by the UP police and stopped from entering the district. Meanwhile, Yogi govt has constituted a 3-member SIT comprising of state Home Secretary Bhagwan Swarup and members of the Dalit community and women, to probe and file a report within 7 days. The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh and a house along with a government job to one family member, with the CM speaking to the family via video-link assuring the deceased's father of stringent action against the accused.

Hathras horror: UP ADG now claims 'No rape'; threatens action for stoking caste tensions

What is the Hathras rape case?

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14 in a field, leaving her in a critical condition. When her condition worsened, she was referred to AIIMS but was admitted to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on Monday with spinal cord injuries, paralysis and cuts in her tongue. She died around 3 am on Tuesday, but her autopsy report has no mention of rape. Police have claimed that the Hathras gangrape victim was 'not raped' after the postmortem report stated 'neck injury and trauma' as the cause of death and that no traces of sperm were found in her private parts.

Hathras case: Allahabad HC takes suo motu cognisance, issues notices to UP govt

The case took an ugly turn when UP police cremated the victim's body at 2:30 AM on Wednesday allegedly without the family's consent.  However, Uttar Pradesh ADG Prashant Kumar stated that the funeral was conducted with the consent of the family - the force has been pulled up by the NCW for this 'hurried cremation'. The Allahabad High Court has taken a suo moto cognizance of the case and sought a response from senior state officials including the additional chief secretary (Home), Director General of Police, additional chief secretary (Law and Order), and Hathras district magistrate and superintendent of police by October 12.