The accused in the case of assault, alleged rape and subsequent death of a girl in Hathras , Uttar Pradesh, have reportedly written to the district police chief from jail claiming innocence in the incident and sought “justice”.
Read: Editorial | Grapes of wrath
In the letter to SP Hathras, accused Sandeep Singh claims that he and three others were falsely implicated in the case by the victim’s family.
The letter, widely circulated on social media, has thumb impressions of all the accused, the other three being Ravi, Lavkush and Ramu.
In the letter, Sandeep claims that he was friends with the victim and the two would also speak on phone but the girl’s family did not approve of their friendship.
He also goes on to claim that on the day of the incident , he met the victim in the fields and that she was accompanied by her brother and mother. He further says through hearsay information that after he left the spot on the girl’s request, her brother and mother beat her up.
Alok Singh, Senior Superintendent, Aligarh Jail, confirmed that Sandeep had sent a letter to the SP Mathura. Mr. Singh said he forwarded the letter to SP Hathras as per the rules.
Relative’s charge
Reacting to the letter, a female relative of the victim told a television channel that she sensed “plans” being played out to protect the four accused. “Stories are being pitched to save them. Everything is theirs, the ministers and the MPs are theirs. Who do we have? Poor people don’t have anyone except for god”, she said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, without any specific reference, took to Twitter saying the woman deserved “justice not slander”.
“Creating a narrative that defames a woman’s character and holding her somehow responsible for crimes committed against her is revolting and regressive”, Ms. Vadra said.
The Hathras police are yet to comment on the letter.
