The despicable manner in which the Hathras case is being reacted to – with denial, false allegations, and pronounced evidence of a cover-up – is almost too shocking to put into words. Apart from a smear campaign directed towards the Dalit family, there’s also been several reports that the family of the victim has been intimidated on numerous occasions. Here’s all the sickening excuses the government has given other than trying to solve the case.
1. Claiming there was no rape, and downplaying the serious nature of the crime.
The UP Police has stated that there was no rape, as forensic analysis could not find semen. However, the woman’s samples were sent to the forensic lab in Agra 11 days after incident, by which time sperm would not be present. Even Arnab Goswami claimed there was no rape on live television.
2. Police burnt the body of the victim in the dead of night, without even allowing the family to be there. The government claimed it was to prevent a protest.
The state government said the post-midnight cremation was meant to ‘to avoid large-scale violence’ the next morning. They even said the family was present, despite evidence to the contrary.
3. The UP government claimed the entire case was an ‘international conspiracy’ to defame them.
They ordered a probe on into an alleged international conspiracy originating in foreign countries to defame the state government and stir caste violence in the wake of the murder.
4. A journalist and 3 others were charged under the stringent UAPA while they were on the way to Hathras. The UP government claimed they were planning to cause riots.
The UP police said they had ‘objectionable literature pertaining to justice for the Hathras victim’. So they were arrested for holding placards asking for justice?
5. A rally was held in BJP leader Rajveer Pahalwan’s house in support of the accused. He even wants the victim’s family to take a lie detector test.
The gathering was attended by 100s of people including right wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal, Karni Sena and the RSS
6. The Uttar Pradesh Police has filed 19 FIRs across the state, including 6 at different police stations in Hathras, on charges ranging from attempts to trigger a caste conflict to sedition.
7. Opposition MPs have cases against them for violating pandemic laws because they led a protest march to meet the victim’s family.
The UP Police filed a case against Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi for marching to Hathras.
8. BJP leader Ranjeet Bahadur Srivastava claimed the girl had an affair with the accused, and that all 4 of them were innocent.
This man himself has over 44 criminal cases against him. He also called the victim ‘wayward’.
It’s soul-crushing to see what’s become of this case. Instead of focusing on the brutal murder and alleged rape of a woman, all measures are being taken to shift the blame, change the narrative, and stamp out the fundamental rights of citizens.