The Hathras police, investigating the rape and murder of a Dalit girl, has initiated the process to transfer the papers to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who will now register a case and proceed with further legal action.
In the meantime, the Government has extended the terms of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for ten more days as the probe by them is still inconclusive.
Sources said all the FIRs related to Hathras case have been transferred to the CBI. The UP Government had recommended a CBI probe on Saturday last and the letter to the Union Home Ministry was sent immediately thereafter.
However, the CBI agreed to take over the case on Tuesday after the matter came for hearing before the Supreme Court and the UP Government suggested that the apex court could monitor the investigation of the CBI.
However, the family of the victim has opposed the CBI probe and have demanded a judicial investigation. They have also opposed the UP Government’s suggestion for a Narco test on the family of the victim, accused and even of the policemen.
Meanwhile, an official communiqué of Government has confirmed that the SIT has been given 10 more days’ time to complete the probe.
The SIT was set up on September 30 and was given a week’s time to submit its report. On the basis of a preliminary report of the SIT, the Government had suspended 5 policemen, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Hathras.
Meanwhile UP police on Wednesday booked four persons, including Kerala-based freelance journalist Siddique Kappan on sedition and other charges at Maant police station in Mathura, two days after they were held while on their way to Hathras.
According to the FIR, charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the IT Act have also been filed against the four, who were accused by the State police of having links with the alleged radical group Popular Front of India and its affiliates. The four were identified as Kappan, a journalist of Malappuram in Kerala, Atiq-ur-Rehman of Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmad of Bahraich and Alam of Rampur.
They were on Wednesday booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 124A (sedition), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief), according to the FIR.
The PFI has been accused of funding protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country earlier this year and the UP police had sought a ban on the outfit. The four were held when, according to the police, they were on their way to Hathras were a Dalit woman had died after allegedly being gang-raped.
In yet another twist to the Hathras case, the Uttar Pradesh police has alleged that funding of around Rs 50 crore was sourced by the PFI from Mauritius to incite caste violence in Hathras. The Enforcement Directorate had earlier said they will seek all files from the UP police and look into the financial angles. An FIR was also filed against Congress leader Shyoraj Jivan Valmiki who was caught on camera allegedly inciting caste riots.