Terming as "horrible" the Hathras incident, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to inform it by October 8 about the steps taken to protect witnesses in the case in which a Dalit girl was allegedly brutally raped and died due to injuries.

The apex court directed the Yogi Adityanath government to file an affidavit in this regard and also ascertain whether the victim's family has chosen a lawyer. The apex court observation came while hearing a PIL during which the state government expressed willingness to refer the investigation to the CBI on the ground that fake narratives were being spread about the case with political motives.