Hathras case: Victim's brother demands SC-monitored probe, suspension of DM

Hathras (UP): Brother of the Hathras victim on Sunday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the case and also asked for the suspension of the Hathras District Magistrate.

While talking to a news agency, he said, "We did not demand CBI inquiry in the case as SIT investigation is already underway. We want an investigation to be held under a retired Supreme Court judge. We want the Hathras District Magistrate to be suspended."

On Sunday evening, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Rashtriya Lok Dal vice-president Jayant Chaudhary and a Samajwadi Party delegation were finally allowed to meet the family of the victim.

Azad, who was initially stopped by the UP Police from entering the village, demanded Y-category security for the family besides a probe in the case under a retired Supreme Court judge.

"I demand 'Y-security' for the family or I'll take them to my house, they aren't safe here. We have all seen that the CBI follows the government's orders. Under the present leadership, the CBI is being used only to scare people. We want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge," a news agency quoted him as saying.

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recommended a probe led by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

After the SP delegation met the family, the party said in a tweet in Hindi, "A 'nyay yuddh' (struggle for justice) is going on to deliver justice to the deceased daughter of Hathras by the Samajwadis. On the directives of the national president, the SP delegation met the aggrieved family, expressed its solidarity, and assured all possible help. SP supports all the demands of the aggrieved family."

Earlier in the day, the party had alleged that its delegation members were stopped briefly at a toll plaza near Agra by police at the behest of the government when they were on their way to meet the family. The RLD in a press statement also alleged that its vice-president Chaudhary and party workers were lathicharged by police.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also demanded the removal of the district magistrate and an investigation into his role in the entire matter.

In a tweet in Hindi, the Congress leader said, "According to the aggrieved family, the worst treatment meted out to them was by the district magistrate. Who is trying to save him? He should be immediately suspended, and his role in the entire matter should be probed. When the family is demanding a judicial probe, then why is noise over CBI probe and SIT probe is going on."

"If the UP government has even slightly woken up from its slumber, it should listen to the point of view of the family," she said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, scores of people held a meeting on Sunday outside the house of a former BJP MLA in Hathras where they defended the accused and demanded registration of an FIR against her family members.

Heavy police force was deployed in the vicinity of the residence of former BJP MLA Rajvir Singh Pehalvan, located around 8-9 kilometres from the victim's village.

One of the organisers of the meeting and Pehalvan's son Manveer Singh denied that the gathering comprised members from the upper castes and said they were from different sections of society.

We welcome the CBI inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. We have faith in the investigation, Singh said while claiming that the victim's family members were changing their stand.

The entire scenario has been created to blame the government. The accused persons are in favour of any type of inquiry. But the victims are changing their stand every now and then. They do not want a narco test or a CBI probe. Now they want other kinds of inquiries, he claimed.

He said an FIR should be registered by police against the complainants in the case. "Our demand is that a case should be filed against those people who had filed the case in the first instance," he said.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night. Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

With Agency inputs