The 19-year-old Dalit girl walked to collect fodder for the cattle, when a few tugged her by a cloth around her neck, dragging her into the fields and allegedly raped her. The incident happened on the 14th September in Hathras in the UP State, notorious for both caste discriminations and such wanton attacks and rapes on Dalits and women. The girl’s mother heard the victim and came to her rescue, who fought for her life for two weeks before succumbing to the assault.
The police recorder her declaration only after eight days of the incident after initially rubbishing the rape allegation and refusing to register a case. No arrests were made for ten long days, and the authorities moved only when the media made it widely known, and protests started in the capital and elsewhere. Police arrested four youths, all upper-caste males.
Soon after the media broke out the story, the District Magistrate, Agra Police and the State Information & Public Relations called the assault and rape episode fake and humbug. The girl died on 29th September 2020, and a recalcitrant U.P. Police sprang into action to cremate the body at 2.30 am, and without barring anyone from the family of the girl to be present. The police claimed that the family had consented for the cremation, which was refuted by the girl’s father and kin.
Hathras Superintendent of Police Vikrant Vir, after the cremation of the body, claimed that there had been no rape at all, citing an autopsy report and a final postmortem report.
A few transfers will take place. The media would cover until TRPs support. A few blogs and posts on the Social Media until the likes scored are discernible. Hefty compensation would silence the family. The officials would enrich with cut money and commissions. Local goons would harass the family and grab the compensation. All the accused will be released for lack of evidence. They would become political leaders of India. That is how it always ends, another episode, forgotten and buried.
We sink into various spicy aspects, the girl’s caste, the assaulters’ castes, the role of police, the media and the authorities and engage in endless hours of cankerous T.V. debates and end it. The silent tears of a mother will singe the country!
Shame!
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
