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After a nationwide uproar, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over investigations in the alleged gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The First Information Report (FIR) was originally registered at the Chandpa Police Station, Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The CBI registered a FIR on October 11, 2020 under sections of murder and gangrape of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. But this FIR mysteriously went missing from the CBI’s official website only hours later!
The Uttar Pradesh government has been recommending a CBI probe to the Supreme Court since October 6 amid a growing political storm and saying that it will ensure that no vested interests are able to create a false narrative with “oblique motives”, reported by The Mint. The Central Government issued a notification on Sunday directing the CBI to take over the investigation. The notification issued by the Centre 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”.
A CBI source informed The Print that, “The Hathras case will now be probed by the Ghaziabad branch of CBI’s Lucknow Zone” and “The team will visit the crime scene along with forensic experts. The team will recreate the crime and also look for fresh evidence. The team will also analyse the tower locations of the accused, their call detail records”.
Just hours after registering an FIR on Sunday under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, for offences related to rape, attempt to murder, gang rape, murder of the Indian Penal Code and section 3 of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act (punishments for offences of atrocities), the CBI removed it from their website. Both the FIR and a press release were published on the agency’s website, but the FIR was later removed.
Late in the afternoon, a fresh release was posted, stating that the agency had registered a case “against an accused and taken over the investigation of the case, earlier registered vide CC no-136/2020 at Police Station Chandpa, District-Hathras (Uttar Pradesh) on a complaint. The complainant had alleged that on 14.09.2020, the accused tried to strangulate his sister in the millet field. The case has been registered by CBI on the request of Uttar Pradesh Government and further Notification from Government of India,” the CBI said in a notification, reported by The Hindustan Times.
The 19-year-old who was allegedly gang raped and murdered by 4 upper caste men succumbed to her injuries on September 29, 2020 at a Delhi Hospital. The local administration’s move to cremate the victim’s body late at night without the family’ consent triggered a massive outcry and condemnation from across the country.
The FIR may be read here:
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