On September 14 in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, four men belonging to the upper caste Thakur community raped and brutally assaulted a 19-year-old Dalit woman. She died on Tuesday in Delhi. The incident has once again highlighted the caste-based violence that Dalit women face and the ruling BJP has come under pressure for its poor record to prevent crimes against Scheduled Caste members and women.
The relatives of the woman say that late on Tuesday night, the police cremated the girl in a hurry without the family’s consent. The police have denied this claim. The Wire‘s Ismat Ara spoke to the victim’s family.