UP govt extends time given to Hathras SIT by 10 days

Lucknow, October 7 

The UP government has given an additional 10 days to the three-member SIT investigating the alleged gang rape and killing of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras as the "probe is not complete", a senior official said Wednesday.

The special investigation team, constituted on September 30 and led by Home Secretary Bhagwan Swarup, was initially given seven days to submit its report.

But the UP government later sought a CBI probe into the case and the criminal conspiracy to spread caste conflict it has suspected. On Tuesday, it told the Supreme Court it wanted an apex court-monitored CBI inquiry into the incident to ensure "no vested interests will be able to create fake, false narrative with oblique motives".

"Yes...the time for submitting report for the SIT has been extended by 10 days," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi told PTI.

Asked about the reasons for the extension, he added, "The reason is one. The probe is not complete." The Yogi Adityanath government is fighting severe criticism for its handling of the case, particularly after the local police burnt the woman's body at night without the family's approval. However, officials said the cremation was done "as per the wishes of the family".

The government has claimed that some people were trying to foment caste tensions in the aftermath of the alleged rape of the woman by four "upper caste" men on September 14. Quoting an FSL report, it has denied the rape charge.

Referring to "recent incidents”, Chief Minister Adityanath has said that “anarchist elements” were trying to trigger communal and caste violence in the state.

In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court in response to a PIL, the government said there have been "orchestrated efforts to malign the image of government on social media by attributing baseless comments and building up a distorted narrative on the Hathras case”.

The woman died on September 29 of the grievous injuries she suffered during the assault. PTI