Hasty Cremation, Varying Accounts: Red Flags in Hathras Rape Case

Were there lapses by the Uttar Pradesh administration in handling of the alleged gangrape case of a Dalit teen in Hathras district?

(Photo: The Quint)

Were there lapses by the Uttar Pradesh administration in handling of the alleged gangrape case of a Dalit teen in Hathras district? Was it a mere coincidence that the victim's body was cremated in haste, with full police force, allegedly without her family's consent?

As protests mount against the state police and the state government's delinquent attitude over the alleged rape and the subsequent death of the 19-year-old, the investigation so far has raised several red flags.

Even as the hurried late-night cremation of the Dalit victim triggered a big controversy, the Additional Director General (ADG) of the UP police, Prashant Kumar, has said that forensic examination show the woman was not raped.

In an official statement he said, "The samples did not have sperm and, thus, makes it clear that no rape or gang-rape took place with the girl," adding that "some people twisted the matter to stir a caste-based tension".

But that doesn't answer all the questions. Does no sperm rule out rape?

The ADG's statement based on the forensic report also seems to be in direct contrast to the victim's declaration that was recorded before the magistrate on 22 September, where she named all the four men and alleged rape.

Should this not be treated as an important piece of evidence? Tune in to The Big Story!