The family of the 19-year-old Dalit woman from Hathras, who four Thakur men allegedly gangraped and killed, left for Lucknow on Monday morning to appear before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court amid tight security.
The woman died in New Delhi last month from the injuries she sustain in the incident.
SDM Anjali Gangwar told ANI, “I am going with them. Proper security arrangements have been made. District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) is also accompanying us.”
Dominant caste people in Hathras have held massive protests in support of the four arrested accused, demanding their release.
The woman’s brother told The Times of India, “We were supposed to reach Lucknow on Sunday. But we refused to travel at night. Now, we have been asked to get ready by 5am on Monday.”
The Hathras family has repeatedly told the media that they were living in fear.
An SIT has been set up for by the Uttar Pradesh government. The CBI took over the case and began probe in the incident. It registered a case on Sunday.
On Monday, the family of the woman, police officers and the government will depose before court.
The police have claimed the woman was not raped.
PTI reported that the ]court will record the version of the victim’s family members in the case. It had on October 1 asked the woman’s parents to come to apprise it of their version of the incident.
The hearing is likely to be held in-person, the PTI report said. The court had ordered the Hathras district administration to arrange for the family’s travel.
The case is listed for hearing before a division bench of Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Rajan Roy at 2:15 pm.
The Allahabad High Court had taken suo moto cognisance of the case.
The court summoned additional chief secretary, home; director general of police; ADG, law and order; and district magistrate and superintendent of police of Hathras to furnish the status report of the investigation in the case.
The state government has asked additional advocate general VK Sahi to represent it before the court, PTI reported.
Meanwhile on Sunday, the CBI registered a case in the Chandpa Police Station in Hathras, under sections of the Indian Penal Code that relate to gangrape and murder.
(With PTI inputs)