The Handling of the Hathras Case in Uttar Pradesh Raises Many Questions

On 14th September 2020, a 19-year-old Dalit girl, cutting grass in the field along with her mother was dragged, strangled, and gang-raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh.

Her tongue was cut and her spinal cord snapped when they tried to strangulate her with her Dupatta. Her mother found her lying down in the farm when she heard her cries. The four men- Sandip, Ramu, Lavkush and Ravi who belong to the Thakur caste have been arrested. 

Apart from the gruesome manner she was raped, what shocked the nation was the way the case was dealt with by the government officials. 

The young girl struggled for 10 days in Aligarh hospital which was not equipped enough to take care of her fragile condition. She was then transferred to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on the 28th of September. In a day’s time, she passed away. 

The gruesome attack took place on the 14th of September whereas the statement was recorded only on the 22nd of September. 

The Aligarh hospital was not equipped to suit the victim’s needs yet she was not shifted to a better-equipped hospital. 

What is shocking is that the samples were taken 8 days after the crime was committed and reached the lab 3 days later which is a major lapse on the part of the investigators. According to rules samples need to be examined within 96 hours to get appropriate results. 

Contrary to the preliminary report the final medical reports say that rape was not committed but there were confirmed signs of strangulation. This revelation has sparked off massive protests. 

This case has once again brought to light the degree of sexual violence on Dalit women and the manner caste hierarchy is strictly given importance. 

The manner the case was dealt with only reaffirms the fact that when you belong to a so-called backward class, even the government officials will be slow-moving in their official duties. 

The police however were pretty quick to discharge their duties when it came to cremate her. They cremated her in the middle of the night and without the presence of her family members. According to the victim’s father, he was forcefully locked up when his daughter was being cremated however police are denying this claim. 

The manner the Uttar Pradesh government has handled the Hathras incident raises many doubts. Are women especially belonging to Dalit communities safe? Why did the authorities not act with speed and efficiency in this case? Are they siding with the upper caste culprits? 

The situation is certainly grim for women in states where cast hierarchy is strictly followed as the power and resources seem to lie with the upper caste community. It is about time to wake up to the vicious crimes Dalit women are victims to repeatedly even in the twenty first century.