A year on, Hathras victim's family still feels insecure | Ground Report

A year after the Hathras incident, the picture in the village seems drastically different. Reporters tried to talk to both sides, the victim’s family and the accused, to understand how their lives have changed over the last 365 days.

Exactly a year ago, on September 14, 2020, the Hathras rape and murder incident shook the country's conscience.A Dalit girl was raped and critically injured at Boolgarhi in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district allegedly by four upper caste Thakurs of the same village. After a 15 day-fight, she succumbed to her injuries in a Delhi hospital. The victim's family was not allowed to perform the last rites. The administration did it at midnight. Videos and pictures went viral, and the controversy also took a political turn.When India Today visited the village a year after the incident, the picture seemed drastically different. We tried to talk to both sides, the victim’s family and the accused, to understand how their lives have changed over the last 365 days.

We first visited the victim's house that has been converted into a camp by paramilitary forces. Before the main entrance, we were told to write the details and purpose of the visit. The security staff deployed there informed us that it is mandatory given the threat being faced by the victim's family. At their home, there are multiple layers of security. Some security personnel are camping on the roof, and others are providing security at the doorstep. There are many CCTV cameras to keep vigil over the movement, both inside as well as outside.ALSO READ: Saki Naka rape case can't be compared with Hathras incident: Shiv Sena