Hathras Woman Was Gang-Raped, Murdered: CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday has filed a charge sheet against four accused in the alleged gang rape and murder case of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras. The police had previously claimed the victim had not been gang-raped.

The charge sheet has been filed under sections 354, 376 A, 376 D, and 302 of IPC and SC ST Atrocities Act, the Indian Express reported. Hathras court will preside over the trial now.

The Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men identified as Sandeep, Luvkush, Ravi and Ramu, in Hathras on September 14 this year. She succumbed to her injuries on September 29 at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital during treatment.

Furthermore, the victim was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on September 30. Her family alleged they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".