UP Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar claimed on Thursday, 1 October, that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has made it clear that there was no rape in the incident where a 19-year-old Dalit woman died after she was allegedly gang-raped in UP’s Hathras by four upper caste men from her village on 14 September, ANI reported.
The 19-year-old was found by her mother in the field naked, bleeding, with multiple fractures and a gash in her tongue. She passed away on Tuesday after succumbing to her injuries.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, ADG Kumar said that the postmortem report had found that the cause of death was a neck injury and the trauma sustained from that. He added that no sperm had been found in the samples provided and that it was clear that the matter was being twisted to cause caste-based tensions.
What Does the Autopsy Report Say?
The autopsy report of the 20-year-old Dalit woman came out on Thursday. According to the report, which was released by the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi, the woman was strangulated and suffered a cervical spine injury.
As per hospital records, the woman received an injury to the cervical spine, which was produced by blunt trauma. The report mentions ‘rape and strangulation’ in her medical history.
The report also suggested that the ligature mark over the neck was consistent with strangulation, but it did not contribute to the woman’s death.
The final diagnosis suggests “alleged post-strangulation with cervical spine injury with sepsis with cardiopulmonary arrest.”
The death summary presented by the Delhi hospital has also stated: “Poor prognosis and patient's condition was explained to the attendant. The condition of the patient deteriorated gradually despite adequate treatment.”
It also mentions that she was given CPR and "despite all resuscitative efforts" patient was declared dead at 8:55 am on Tuesday.
What Did Hathras SP Say?
Earlier, on Wednesday, Hathras SP Vikrant Vir had said that the doctors did not confirm rape and can only give a firm opinion based on the forensic report, which was awaited, reported ANI.
He had added that there were no signs of abrasion on the victim’s private parts and the reports on her spine being broken were false.
(With inputs from ANI and India Today)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)