“Inhumane and beyond cruelty,” Virat Kohli reacts to Hathras gang rape incident

A 19-year-old woman was brutally assaulted, raped and left for dead by four men in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has reacted to the gang-rape incident in Hathras where a 19-year-old woman was brutally assaulted by four men in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on September 14. She was brought to a hospital in Delhi but didn’t survive.

Kohli on Tuesday hoped that justice would be done to the Hathras gang-rape victim, who died of her injuries in Delhi, saying that the incident “goes beyond cruelty”. “What happened in #Hathras is inhumane and goes beyond cruelty. Hope the culprits of this heinous crime will be brought to justice. #JusticeForManishaValmiki,” Kohli, who is in the UAE for the ongoing IPL, tweeted.

The woman had suffered multiple fractures, paralysis, and a deep gash in her tongue in the savage assault. Injuries to her neck had left her paralyzed and struggling to breathe, said doctors.

All four attackers, who are in jail, will now be charged with murder as well. The UP police is under scrutiny over alleged lapses throughout the case. They initially registered an attempted murder case but added rape charges only after the woman's formal statement.

The gang-rape and the victim’s death has sparked outrage and protests, with several political leaders calling for the death penalty to the accused.