Hathras case: CBI files FIR for gangrape, murder as it takes over probe; victim's family to appear before Allahabad HC today

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR early morning on October 11 and took over the investigation into the alleged gangrape and murder of the Dalit woman, officials said.

The central probe agency registered the FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to gangrape and murder among others, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It assigned the case to its Ghaziabad unit with a special team to investigate the ghastly crime, they said.

The family members of a 19-year-old Dalit woman, who died after allegedly being raped by four men in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district, will appear before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court amid tight security on October 12.

The court will record the version of the victim's family members in the case. On October 1, the court had asked the woman's parents to come to apprise it of their version of the incident. The hearing is likely to be held in-person. The court had ordered the Hathras district administration to arrange for the family's travel.

The case is listed for hearing before a division bench of Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Rajan Roy at 2:15 pm. The high court had directed the district judge to ensure that the victim's family members appear before it on October 12.

It has also summoned additional chief secretary, home; director-general of police; ADG, law and order; and district magistrate and superintendent of police of Hathras to furnish the status report of the investigation in the case. The state government has asked additional advocate general V  Sahi to represent it before the court.

The 19-year old woman was allegedly raped by four men on September 14. She succumbed to severe assault injuries at a Delhi hospital a fortnight later which was followed by a hushed up cremation at night allegedly forced by the district administration.

The brutal injuries suffered by the woman and the administration's move to cremate her body late at night triggered massive outrage among people resulting in a pitched political battle from Delhi to Hathras, a city known for its satire and asafoetida. The political slugfest was further perpetuated after the state police's statement that it had not found any evidence of rape.

Faced with public anger and the opposition's protests over the Dalit teenager's alleged rape and murder by upper caste men, the state government had finally decided to hand over the case to the CBI which was referred to the probe agency by a central government notification on October 10.

The officer concerned of the Uttar Pradesh police had registered a case of attempt to murder on a statement by the victim's brother who, as per the FIR at Chandpa police station, had said the accused had tried to strangulate his sister in a millet field and escaped when she raised an alarm.

The notification issued by the centre on the request of the state government had asked the CBI to probe rape, murder and atrocity and "any attempt, abetment and/or conspiracy, in relation to or in connection with such offence(s) and/or for any other offence committed in the course of the same transaction or arising out of the same facts".