The central government has issued notification for the CBI to take over the investigation of the Hathras Murder-rape case of a 19-year case in Uttar Pradesh.
A 19-year old girl was assaulted by four men in her village and succumbed to her injuries on September 29 in New Delhi. The state government had recommended a CBI probe into the conspiracy of pushing the state into class conflict and disrupting the administration of the state.
The CBI filed an FIR on Sunday under the charges of murder and gangrape. The agency has formed a team to investigate. The team with forensic experts left for the crime scene soon after the FIR was filed. Along with investigating the case, they will also look into the alleged conspiracy of spreading class conflict.
The Union Ministry has given directions to the states and Union Territories that the investigation of any crime against women should be completed within two months. Including the declarations that are made by dying people, which are not recorded by a magistrate should not be rejected.
The centre has directed that a ‘zero FIR’ can be filed for the crimes that do not come under the jurisdiction of a police station. The ‘ZERO FIR’ can be filed at any police station regardless of the crime location.
The officials are summoned by the Allahabad court to give a detailed status of the case and the investigation.
MHA has also distributed that Sexual Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) kits in all the states as evidence would facilitate the better investigation. It is made necessary for the kits to be used in molestation cases. The forensic Science Services has also issued guidelines for the collection, preservation and transportation of the evidence in a sexual assault case.
The statement of the accused
The suspect, Sandeep had sent a letter to the Superintendent of Police that was attested by all the four accused.
The letter said that they are charged for a false case. He claimed that the 19- year old was his friend. They would often meet and talk on the phone. But her family was against them meeting each other.
However, the victim’s family blamed Sandeep calling this another pursuit of defaming them. They said that the victim did not possess any mobile phone and the accused was harassing her for a long time.
In the letter, the accused states that on September 14 the accused had met the 19- year old in the fields. However, he had left after the victim asked him to. He was later told by the villagers that she was beaten by her family for meeting him. She had severe injuries which led to her death.
Sandeep, the accused also claims that the victim’s brother and mother have filed a fake case against him and he would never do anything wrong with a woman. Even the lawyer of the accused said that the authorities did not have any substantial evidence against his client. But, The family of the victim called the latter a ‘fake narrative.’
