Hathras Gangrape-Murder Case: UP Court Frees Three Accused, Holds One Guilty

On September 14, 2020, the entire nation was shook by the brutal rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh. The crime meted out to the Dalit girl raised uproar from all over the country and globally. The Uttar Pradesh Police was accused of hiding evidence by cremating the girl's body without the family's consent, the case was shifted to CBI for investigation.

Following the investigation that began on October 10, the CBI filed charges of rape and murder against four upper-caste men. On March 2, 2023, the Uttar Pradesh court set three of four accused free and found the fourth accused - Sandeep Sisodia - guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under sections of the SC/ST Act but not of rape. The woman's family will be challenging the verdict.

Questionable Verdicts And Fuelled Uproars

Among the four accused of the Hathras gang rape incident, three were acquitted by the Uttar Pradesh court on March 2. The three upper-caste men freed by the court were identified as Ravi, Ramu, and Luv Kush. The fourth accused, Sandeep Sisodia, was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. As the final order is yet to be released, Seema Khushwaha, the lawyer representing the woman's family, said they would challenge the verdict.

The gruesome crime that happened in 2020 sparked furious protests across India and made headlines globally. The Hathras victim was sexually assaulted in her village by being dragged off from a field where she worked. She died two weeks after being shifted to a Delhi hospital for treatment, and the police cremated her body in a secretive midnight funeral that her family was allegedly barred from.

A Case Carried On For Years And Freed The Guilty

Many had drawn parallels between the Hathras case and the 2012 Delhi gangrape due to the brutal nature of the crime. The victim in Hathras had reportedly died of multiple fractures and mutilations that left her paralysed and struggling to breathe. According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the Allahabad High Court had taken cognisance of the case back then, saying the crime had 'shocked' its conscience. About ten days later, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation following national protests. The opposition and people attacked the UP police and chief minister Yogi Adityanath's government over alleged lapses in handling the investigation and treatment of the young woman.

Also Read: "CM Adityanath Did Not Trust UP Police": BJP Leader On Hathras Gang-Rape Case