Hathras accused allege they were framed, urge investigation

Hathras (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 8 : The accused in the Hathras incident have written to the Superintendent of Police alleging they have been framed in the case and have urged for an investigation for justice to be delivered in the matter.
The letter, written on October 7, in Hindi, states that the four accused had been framed on the basis of "false claims" of indulging in sexual acts and then manhandling the girl, leading to her death.
Sandeep, an accused, further stated that he was friends with the victim, and the two also used to talk with the girl over the phone, which the girl's family did not approve of.
"On the day of the incident I met her in the fields, she was accompanied by her mother and brother. Upon her telling me I returned to my house and started giving water to the animals along with my father. Later on, I got to know from the villagers that her mother and brother have beaten her up due to her friendship with me, due to which she received serious injuries, leading to her death," the letter read.
"I have never beaten or indulged in any kind of wrong acts with the victim. Her mother and brother framed me and three others in false charges and sent us to jail. We are innocent, please conduct an investigation in this matter to ensure we get justice," it added.
Meanwhile, Alok Singh, SP, Aligarh Jail, said that they have forwarded the letter to the concerned investigating agency.
"He (Sandeep Singh) gave us a letter for SP Hathras. We have forwarded the letter as per the rules. Accused has put across his version in the letter and the concerned investigating agency will look into it," Alok Singh said.
The Hathras case has sparked enormous outrage with a series of intense protests being observed across the nation. The protest took over on to social media after the alleged video of the victim's body being burnt by the administration without the presence of family members surfaced.
The Uttar Pradesh government in an affidavit to Supreme Court stated that "extraordinary circumstances forced district administration to take the extraordinary step of cremating the victim at night in presence of and with the consent of family members."
The UP government had formed an SIT to investigate the case, and it had further pushed for a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe in the matter.