Hathras Rape Case: Farhan Akhtar, Richa Chadha and Others Express their Anger on Alleged Forceful Cremation of Victim

The alleged forceful cremation of a 19-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh, Hathras, after she succumbed to injuries sustained when she was gang-raped has created a furore across the country.

People from all walks of lives are expressing their anger and sadness on social media. Popular artistes and actors from the film industry have also questioned the motive behind the alleged forceful cremation of the rape victim at midnight, calling it a matter of shame.

The woman’s family has claimed that the police took away the dead body of their daughter in the middle of the night.

“The police have forcibly taken the dead body, and my father along with them for cremation. When my father reached Hathras, he was immediately taken (to the crematorium) by the police,” the woman’s brother told news agency PTI.

Actress Richa Chadha took to Twitter to say that this society hates women and does not allow them to be born. She added that if the women manage to survive, they have to fight to live with dignity. The actress stated that the society hate women as little girls and as movie stars.

She concluded her post by writing, “Comments under this tweet will prove how much we hate women. No country that hates women will ever be at peace.” At the end of the post, she dropped a bow-arrow emoji.

Actor Farhan Akhtar asserted that the Hathras incident will forever remain a “blemish” on the fabric of this nation. Lashing out at those who shield perpetrators, he said that it’s “barbaric” to deny the bereaved family last rites of their daughter. In the end, he stated, “Humanity is dead.”

Famous poet and writer Javed Akhtar, who is the father of Farhan Akhtar, questioned what makes those people who allegedly forcefully cremated the body of the victim at the midnight “confident that they will get away with this audacity.” He asked who gave them the assurance that nothing will happen to them.

Comedian and actor Vir Das shared a video posted by NDTV, in which a man (presumably the victim’s father) can be seen requesting to the police to allow them to take the dead body home.

Expressing his angst, he wrote, “What happened here is disgusting. These men are disgusting and I hope they pay the heaviest price possible for taking away the right to mourn from their family.”

He added that if action is not taken then this country can’t be called a democracy.

Here are some more reactions:

The victim succumbed to her injuries after being admitted in a Delhi hospital for 15 days on Tuesday, September 29, 2020.