'UP epicentre for every crime in India': Twitter condemns murder of sexual assault survivor's father in Hathras

A rape accused, who was out on bail, allegedly shot dead the survivor’s father in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.

Gaurav Sharma, the accused, was jailed in 2018 after a molestation case was filed against him by the survivor’s father. He was granted bail by a local court after a month.

An argument took place on Monday evening between the families of the survivor and the accused outside a village temple. Sharma opened fire on the survivor’s father, who died on the way to hospital.

Hathras Superintendent of Police, Vineet Jaiswal, said, “The man who died, had filed a case against Gaurav Sharma in July 2018 for molestation. The accused went to jail and got bail after a month. Since then, both families were hostile to each other. The wife and aunt of the main accused had gone to a village temple to pray where both daughters of the deceased were also present. The women had an argument. The accused — Gaurav Sharma — and the woman’s father intervened and the argument between the men intensified. After this, Gaurav flew into a rage and called some boys from his family to the scene and shot at the man.”

A video clip of the survivor has gone viral in which she can be seen crying outside a police station and demanding justice. “Please give me justice… please give me justice. First, he molested me and now he has shot my father. He had come to our village. There were six-seven people. My father had no enmity against anyone. His name is Gaurav Sharma,” she is heard saying.

The news has shocked people across India. People are enraged at the lack of security and safety for women in the country, taking to Twitter to voice their concerns. Since Hathras has witnessed multiple brutal rapes, people are condemning the government and asking for strict action against the perpetrators.

Here are some of the reactions on Twitter.