New Delhi: The NCW on Thursday sought an explanation from the Uttar Pradesh Police on the urgency to cremate the body of the Hathras gang-rape victim in the middle of the night in the absence of her family members.
The Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14 and she breathed her last on Tuesday at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital.
Her body was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging that the local police forcefully conducted the last rites in the dead of the night.
Local police officers, however, stated that the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
The National Commission for Women (NCW), in a statement, said it is shocked at the brutal gang-rape of a 19-year-old woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, who died in Delhi after fighting for life for two weeks.
The incident underlines the grim state of women in society, it said.
The Commission said it also came across a disturbing report on police officials cremating her body in the middle of the night without the permission and presence of her family members.
It has been reported that the victim's body was cremated at 2:30 am by the police without the presence of any family member.
"The victim's family had reportedly appealed to the District Magistrate for taking her body home for performing the last rites, however, the police went ahead with the cremation while most of her family members were away," it said.
"The Commission has now written to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh seeking an explanation on the urgency to cremate the body of the victim in the middle of the night that too in the absence of her family. NCW has asked the administration to send a reply on the same at the earliest," it said.
As the news of the victim's death spread, protests broke out in Delhi as well as in Hathras with all sections of society, including politicians, sports, cine stars, and activists expressing anguish and demanding justice for her.
Meanwhile, Nand Kishor Gurjar, a lawmaker of the ruling BJP on Thursday asked Governor Anandiben Patel to act against officials, who he said, had denied the family of the Hathras gang-rape victim the right to perform her last rites.
Gurjar, who represents Loni Assembly constituency of Ghaziabad near national Capital Delhi, said the police had hastily performed the last rites of the 19-year-old in violation of religious beliefs of Hindus not to cremate the dead after sunset.
Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench has summoned UP Additional Chief Secretary, police chief, Additional DGP, besides Hathras DM and SP in the gang-rape and murder case.