Hathras replay in MP: Kin denied victim’s body

Kin allege that rape victim was treated as criminal; Shivraj orders SIT probe

In a ‘replay’ of Hathras incident, body of a minor ‘rape victim’ who died in suspicious circumstance here, was not handed over to her kin and was cremated in the presence of police on Thursday.

The incident triggered an outcry forcing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to order a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of Madhya Pradesh police on Friday. “We could not save the girl. This is not a minor incident. It is most unfortunate”, Chouhan said while taking stock of the situation at an official meeting here.

Earlier, the family members of the deceased cried injustice saying that the alleged rape victim was treated like a criminal by the system till her death, even though she was a victim.

“She had been put in a government shelter home for last 6 months (after the incident relating to sexual exploitation of five girls including the deceased by accused Pyare Miyan came to light in July 2020). No member of the family had been allowed to visit her in the shelter home. She died in suspicious circumstances. We wanted her body to be brought home for the last time before the last rites. But, police refused to hand over the body to us and took the body to the cremation ground straight from the hospital”, the deceased’s mother said.

She demanded a CBI probe into her death. The deceased was among five girls who were allegedly sexually exploited by Pyare Miyan (68), who runs a local Hindi daily here. Pyare was arrested by police when he was accompanying a group of girls in a car in July 2020. He was booked for running sex racket. Police said the five alleged victims of sexual exploitation were kept in a shelter home for security reasons.

On Wednesday, the deceased had allegedly consumed overdose of sleeping pills. She was rushed to government-run Hamidia hospital where she died during treatment.

Police took her body to the cremation ground from the hospital on Thursday for the last rites after postmortem. The deceased’s brother performed the last rites.

“My father and uncle were in the hospital to accept the body. But, police refused to hand over the body to them. A bus was sent to my home to carry women members of the family to the cremation ground to be present during her last rites”, the deceased’s mother said.

Bhopal deputy inspector general of police Irshad Wali said everything was done with the consent of the family members of the deceased. Police did not allow the body to be taken to her home fearing a law and order situation.

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Kamal Nath on Thursday decried the incident, describing it “inhuman and shameful”.

● THE DECEASED was among five girls who were allegedly sexually exploited by Pyare Miyan who runs a local Hindi daily in MP.