The body of a gang-rape victim in India was cremated despite the wishes of her family against it prompting the eruption of protests in several parts of the country.
Coming from the Dalit Community which is considered as the ancient Hindu caste system's lowest rung, the 19-year-old victim was said to have been attacked on September 14. The incident happened near her own home in a field in the Hathras district according to authorities.
On Tuesday, the victim died in the hospital due to the injuries she sustained amid the attack. Four suspects have been arrested by the police in connection to the rape of the victim.
In an interview with Reuters, the victim's brother said that no government officials nor the police came to them and asked for permission to cremate the victim. They said that the authorities pushed through performing the last rites at around 2 o'clock in the morning on Wednesday in her native village, against the wishes of the family.
Moreover, the brother also said that they begged the police that they wanted the last rites to be performed in the morning, but the police still pushed through and performed the rites themselves.
In addition, he also stated that they were not allowed to go near the site where the last rites were performed. He narrated that the police force formed barricades to stop them and that they were unable to see the face of their sister for the last time.
The names of the victim and her brother were not revealed in accordance with laws protecting victims of sexual violence.
Meanwhile, government officials and police from the district did not respond to any requests for comments or interviews.
Forced cremation sparks outrage
The incident has enraged people in India. The country is known for the widespread violence against women especially for women who belong in the so-called "lower castes" of society.
The brother of the victim has stated that the suspected perpetrators were members of a more privileged village in the area.
Uttar Pradesh, the state where the incident occurred is known to be the most unsafe state for women in India. It can be recalled that back in December, a 23-year-old woman from the same community, the Dalit, was set on fire by a group of men just as she was on her way to press charges of rape.
Meanwhile, according to a witness, police met the protesters in Hathras, charging them with batons amid their rallies for justice.
In New Delhi, many protesters were seen wearing masks as protection for coronavirus amid a scuffle with the authorities.
On top of this, a huge picture of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, of Yogi Adityanath, was burned down by protesters in Adityanath. Due to this, a high-level inquiry was ordered in Adityanath to investigate the incident, Aljazeera reported.
Based on data released by the government in January, back in 2018, one woman reports being raped in India every 15 minutes on average.
Related article: Breonna Taylor's Case Possibly Misrepresented, Grand Juror Requests Release of Full Transcripts and Recordings
