Delhi minor rape case: From Hathras, Kathua to Unnao, a chilling reminder of the government's hall of shame

New Delhi, Aug 04: A nine-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped, murdered and then cremated by her attackers in South West Delhi Sunday evening. What was remained of her for the forensic team to collect were her legs apart from her ashes. Her case is a chilling reminder of what happened to Nirbhaya in 2012 in Delhi.

The cry for justice is getting shriller by the minute on social media. People from all walks of life have demanded speedy justice.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED

The incident came to light after the family complained that the child died under "suspicious circumstances". The girl, who belonged to an economically weaker section, lived with her parents in the village in a rented house in front of a crematorium.

According to victim's family,''On Sunday at around 5.30 PM, she went to get cold water from a cooler at the crematorium after informing her mother.''

Around 6 PM, the crematorium's priest, Radhey Shyam, and two-three other people, known to the girl's mother, called her there and showed her daughter's body claiming that she got electrocuted while getting water from the cooler.

It was alleged the priest and the others dissuaded her mother from making a PCR call, saying police will make a case out of it and during the post-mortem, doctors will steal the girl's organs, so it was better to cremate her.

SUSPECTS ARRESTED

Four suspects were arrested Monday - a priest, Radhe Shyam, along with Laxmi Narayan and Kuldeep who worked with the priest, and Salim, a resident of the area - a day after the child's mother identified them.

Four suspects were arrested Monday - a priest, Radhe Shyam, along with Laxmi Narayan and Kuldeep who worked with the priest, and Salim, a resident of the area - a day after the child's mother identified them.

The accused have been charged under sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 204 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) apart from the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act.

Family members and relatives of the victim as well as residents of Purana Nangal in the Delhi Cantonment area, where the family lives, have been protesting since Monday evening, demanding the death penalty for the accused

According to the police, the girl died under suspicious circumstances, with her parents alleging she was cremated without their consent by a priest.

IN HOSPITAL

DCP South-West on alleged rape-murder of minor girl in Delhi said,''Yesterday, postmortem was done on her remaining body parts. Informally, the board of doctors said they can't reach any conclusion about the cause of death. We'll handover the mortal remains soon to family for last rites.''

We collected evidence from the main accused's house and all the biological evidence from the body of the accused. FSL team also tested the water cooler, the report is awaited. As the investigation progresses, we'll seek remand of accused: DCP South-West, Ingit Pratap Singh

INQUIRY into death of Dalit girl, Rs 10 lakh compensation for family

The Delhi Commission for Women has launched an inquiry into the incident that took place in Old Nangal area in southwest Delhi and summoned the city police after the girl's parents alleged that she was raped and her body was forcibly cremated by a crematorium priest who had falsely claimed that she was electrocuted.

On Tuesday, opposition parties targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the incident, questioning the law and order situation in the national capital, even as the Delhi Police said strict legal action has been taken against the accused.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the Delhi government will order a magisterial inquiry into the death of a nine-year-old Dalit girl following an alleged sexual assault. He also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the girl.

Here are details about rape cases that shocked the country:

Nirbhaya

The victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, dubbed 'Nirbhaya' by the media, was raped by six men while riding in a bus with a friend in New Delhi. The girl was severely injured by an iron rod and died as a result of her injuries. The six perpetrators were all apprehended. Ram Singh, one of them, committed suicide while incarcerated. Four of them received death sentences, while the juvenile was transferred to a remand facility and released after two years.

Hathras Gangrape Case

Last year in September, a 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, India, by four upper caste men. She died two weeks later in a Delhi hospital. The case saw widespread protest against the UP police after the victim's cremation by personnel without her family members present.

Kathua Rape Case

In January 2018, an 8-year-old girl was abducted, gang raped, and murdered in the Rasana hamlet near Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The case was charged, the defendants were arrested, and the trial began on April 16, 2018 in Kathua. The victim was a member of the nomadic Bakarwal tribe. She was missing for a week before villagers discovered her death a kilometre distant from the village. When charges were filed against eight men in April 2018, the incident garnered national attention.

Unnao Rape Case

A 17-year-old Dalit girl was raped in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, on June 4, 2017. Former BJP member Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted of rape on December 16, 2019, and sentenced to life in prison on December 20, 2019. He was also found guilty of the girl's father's death while in court custody.

2019 Hyderabad Rape Case

In November 2019, a 26-year-old veterinary doctor was gangraped and murdered in Shamshabad, near Hyderabad. The victim stopped her scooter near a toll plaza, drawing the notice of two lorry drivers and their assistants, according to the Telangana Police Department. They punctured her tyre, pretended to rescue her, then pushed her into nearby bushes, where they raped and smothered her, according to authorities. They allegedly loaded her body onto a lorry and dumped it on the side of the road. The accused later died during a shoot out during an attempt to escape, the Telangana police said.

Badaun Rape Case

On May 27, 2014, two young girls were gang raped and murdered in Katra village, Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh. CBI concluded that there was no gang rape after a long investigation, and the suspects were released. The POCSO court, however, rejected the CBI closure report on October 28, 2015.