Indian police accused of forcing cremation of Hathras Dalit gang-rape victim

The teenage victim had suffered serious injuries in a brutal sexual attack two weeks ago, and died on Tuesday, sparking widespread anger across the country

Her family said her body was seized upon its arrival at their home village by the police, who ordered the cremation to go ahead against the family’s wishes

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Indian activists protest against an alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Bhopal. Photo: EPA

Published: 7:49pm, 30 Sep 2020Updated: 12:13am, 1 Oct 2020

Indian police were accused on Wednesday of cremating the body of a 19-year-old woman against her family’s will after she was allegedly gang-raped by four men in the country’s latest horrific sexual assault.

The teenager from India’s marginalised Dalit community suffered serious injuries in a brutal sexual attack two weeks ago, according to her family and police, and she died at a New Delhi hospital on Tuesday.

The case has sparked widespread anger across India. On Tuesday night, clashes between police and protesters appalled by the killing erupted outside the hospital, before a large group of officers escorted the hearse back to her native village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Her family told local media that the corpse was seized by police upon its arrival at the village in Hathras district, despite resistance from relatives and villagers, and was cremated in the middle of the night.

Police did not offer an explanation, but multiple relatives protested against the 3am cremation, saying they wanted the body to lie at the family home for a time so absent loved ones could return to pay their respects.