Amid the uproar of justice for the Hathras gangrape victim and criticism of the Uttar Pradesh police for having cremated the body in the middle of the night against her family’s consent, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke to the victim’s father via video-link on Wednesday. Speaking to the parents of the woman, the chief minister said that a fast-track court would be set up in order for speedy justice.
The newly constituted three-member SIT team has been asked by the state government to submit its report in the case within seven days.
“The chief minister has spoken to the father of the victim. Her father asked for the harshest penalty against the accused. The CM assured him that the most stringent action shall be taken against the accused and all possible help shall be provided to the family of the deceased,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said while speaking to the media.
The state government also assured that the woman's family will be given Rs 25 lakh and a house along with a government job for one member.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Yogi Adityanath on the Hathras gangrape incident and demanded strict action against the accused.
Soon after the conversation, the Chief Minister’s office tweeted "Respected Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji has spoken on the Hathras incident and said that strict action should be taken against the culprits".
The horrific gangrape incident took place on September 14 when the woman had gone out in the fields with her mother. She went missing soon after and was found later beaten and tortured.
Meanwhile, the family has accused the local police of having forced them to conduct the last rite in the middle of the night against their wishes. Despite pleading with the police to take the body home and cremate her in the morning, the rites were performed in the night.
However, the police have denied the allegations and said that the cremation was carried out “according to the wishes” of the family and all reports regarding the cremations are “incorrect”.
