Even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Hathras incident was yet to submit its report, the state government ordered Special Task Force (STF) to probe a possible conspiracy angle to incite ethnic and communal riots in the backdrop of the incident.

Earlier on the basis of the SIT input, the state government had already suspended five police officials, including SP of Hathras. The probe into the alleged rape and murder of the Dalit victim has now been taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said through a release on Friday that the case of conspiracy to incite strife on ethnic and communal angles after the incident registered at Chandpa police station (Hathras) would now be probed by a special team of the STF.

It further said that the STF special unit was set up to expose conspiracies after international efforts to discredit the Yogi government surfaced during the probe.

“Large funding and conspiracies were hatched to discredit the Yogi government from Islamic countries, including Pakistan, the UAE and Bangladesh. Besides spreading fake information, morphed photographs and rumours, a big effort was made to spread ethnic and communal strife in the state by inciting the victim’s circuit,” it added.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is already quizzing four arrested members of PFI in this case. On October 7, the four PFI members were arrested in Mathura while coming from Delhi and an FIR was lodged against them on charges of disrupting peace as part of a larger conspiracy.

After being reportedly raped and later murdered on September 14, the 19-year-old Dalit victim of Hathras died at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on September 29. All four accused in the incident have been arrested and are in jail.