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Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) Information and Technology (IT) head, Amit Malviya, tweeted a video of the 19-year-old Hathras victim, asserting that she was not sexually assaulted.
The video showed the victim interacting with an unidentified person where she says that she was strangulated and she resisted the rape attempts on her.
"Hathras victim's interaction with a reporter outside AMU where she claimed there was an attempt to strangulate her neck. None of it is to take away from the atrocity of the crime but unfair to colour it and demean the gravity of one heinous crime against another…" Malviya captioned the video.
The National Commission of Women (NCW) has decided to look into the case as revealing the identity of a rape victim is a cognizable offence. "If she is a rape victim, then the incident of tweeting the video is really very unfortunate and is also absolutely illegal", the NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma told the Indian Express.
According to section 228(a) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the identity of a rape victim cannot be revealed until the investigation is completed and if anyone publishes the victim's identity, then the accused shall be imprisoned for a term of two years and will also be liable to fine.
Supporting the act of Malviya, BJP leader Priti Gandhi claimed in her tweet that Malviya didn't violate any law as the forensic reports show that the victim was not sexually assaulted.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Police's forensic analysis, there were no signs of rape on the victim. "The post-mortem report says the victim died due to her neck injury. Forensic Science Laboratory report hasn't found sperm in samples, making it clear that some people twisted the matter to stir caste-based tension… Such people will be identified and legal action will be taken," UP Additional Director General of Police, Prashant Kumar, told The Print.
The teenage victim died because of her injuries on Tuesday, two weeks after she was allegedly gang-raped and assaulted by four men in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The unfortunate event has spurred huge protests across the country demanding justice for the woman.
Also read: UP: Teenage Dalit Girl Fights For Life In ICU After Gangrape By 4 Upper Caste Men
