‘Why was family not allowed?: NCW writes to UP DGP over midnight cremation Hathras gangrape victim’s body

National Commission For Women (NCW) has written to Director general of police (DGP), Uttar Pradesh, seeking an explanation for the midnight cremation of Hathras gangrape victim’s body in the absence of her family.

The 19-year-old woman died at a Delhi hospital on Tuesday, a fortnight after she was allegedly gangraped and tortured by four upper caste men while she was out to collect fodder with her mother in UP’s Hathras.

“In UP Gang-Rape Tragedy, 2.30 am Cremation By Cops, Family was Kept Out. @NCWIndia condemn it strongly. Why the family wasn’t allowed in Cremation? Why at night?@Uppolice @hathraspolice,” said NCW chief Rekha Sharma tweeted.

Dalit community leaders and women rights activists claim that the early morning cremation was done to prevent any mobilisation or protests in the village.

“The whole world is watching how the government and the police together cremated our sister in the absence of her family,” Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar Azad said on Tuesday.

Women rights activists like Yogita Bhayana, who heads the group People Against Rape in India (PARI), condemned the incident, describing it as “something beyond human rights violation”.

“It is the newest low. Even in the Nirbhaya case there was nothing like this. None of the cases this happened. The family deserves an answer. They can only do this to a Dalit family..they knew the caste would not retaliate so they did this,” Bhayana said.

Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, said that the girl and her family were being denied dignity even in death and mourning.

“When the family found her and she was taken to the police station, the police said she is trying to trap people and then she was hospitalised and not kept in ICU for six days and then on her death the police blamed the victim’s family and they are denying this Dalit family and victim dignity even in death and mourning,” she said.