New Delhi, October 3: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in western Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district. The order to recommend a CBI takeover of the case was issued shortly after Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi met the family of victim. Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi Meet Victim's Family Members in Hathras, Video Shows Them Consoling Deceased Girl's Mother.

"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath orders Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Hathras case," said a statement issued by the UP CMO. Adityanath had, in a series of tweets a day earlier, had assured that his government would take all measures to ensure justice.

See Statement Issued by Chief Minister's Office

The victim, a member of the Scheduled Caste community in Hathras, was allegedly gangraped after being abducted by four men on September 14. The accused, apart from perpetrating the alleged sexual assault, also subjected her to brutal physical torture.

The girl died on Tuesday at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. The autopsy report mentioned that she suffered from a cervical spine injury due to the physical assault. The report also noted that she was strangled.

The case had drawn severe flak towards the government after the UP Police allegedly cremated the girl's body in absence of her family members past the midnight on Wednesday. This prompted the state Opposition leaders to sharpen their attack against the Chief Minister.

"Yogi Adityanath must resign. Instead of protecting the victim and her family, your government became complicit in depriving her of every single human right, even in death. You have no moral right to continue as Chief Minister," Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress' UP in-charge, had said.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also demanded the resignation of Adityanath. "I want to tell the Centre that the UP government is not waking up. Yogi Adityanath is not fit to control law and order, therefore, I want to tell the Centre that they might have made him the Chief Minister under pressure from RSS but he is not fit to run the government efficiently in UP," she said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2020 08:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).