Hathras: 'Molester-Neta' on bail kills complainant’s father in Uttar Pradesh

Hathras was once again in the spotlight in Uttar Pradesh after the father of a molestation victim was allegedly shot dead on Monday by the assault accused who had been sent to jail on a complaint in 2018 but was out on bail. The incident sparked an uproar, with the opposition lashing out at the Yogi Adityanath government once again over the law and order situation in the state. However, a political slugfest ensued as the BJP and the Samajwadi Party accused each other of having links with the accused, on the basis of pictures shared on social media.
A twist first emerged when pictures of the main accused, Gaurav Sharma, identifying himself as an SP leader, emerged, making the BJP turn the tables on the opposition party which was criticising the government. Sharma, identifying himself as Gaurav Songra, an SP leader, had shared a picture on February 27 when he had invited farmers to attend a kisan mahapanchayat being addressed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on March 3 near Aligarh.

Later, the SP posted pictures of the accused posing with the BJP MP from Aligarh, Satish Kumar Gautam.

According to the police, the victim and her father had lodged a complaint against Sharma in July 2018 on charges of molestation but he had been granted bail soon after by the court. On Monday, the daughters of the deceased and wife and aunt of Sharma ran into each other at a temple in the village and got into a heated argument. When Sharma and the victim's father intervened, tempers rose further and soon Sharma called a few of his friends and allegedly shot the deceased. The victim said in a statement that Sharma would often threaten the family to withdraw the case and also said he had links with the SP.

The police has so far arrested one of Sharma's friends, while search for the other accused is on.

Before Sharma’s picture posing as an SP leader emerged, Akhilesh Yadav had slammed the government saying now women in UP have given up on justice from the state. However, BJP UP state secretary Chandramohan alleged that Sharma was part of the SP and said the UP CM was right when he called SP members “topi wala gunda”.