The tears of the 19 years old Dalit girl looked frozen in her stonily eyes who died in Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, after struggling for life and justice almost a fortnight. She had become victim of heart wrenching brutal horrific fatal gang-rape in Boolgarhi village of Hathras District in the western Uttar Pradesh on September 14, that took toll of her life. The victim named four upper caste accused involved in the gang rape who broke her spine turning her lower limbs paralysed and cut off her tongue.
The apparent failure of administration and police in handling the matter with human dignity and sensitivity put the Yogi Adityanath government under extreme vilification from all the socio-political arenas across the country and abroad because of the hasty midnight cremation forcibly carried out by administration in most arbitrary and inhuman manner without consent and participation of victim’s family.
The nation was outrageously shocked and ashamed witnessing special coverage from Hathras Boolgarhi village by India Today TV reporter, Tanushree Pandey who broke the shocking story in public domain, “#Hathras victim burnt against her family’s will. Police locked family members and locals inside the house & forcibly burnt the body. Family couldn’t even see their daughter for one last time. If torture done to the girl was horrific, this is beyond humanity,” she tweeted series massages up to 3:05 AM on September 30, 2020, tagging live footage of the scene.
Her previous massage; “ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE — Right behind me is the body of #HathrasCase victim burning. Police barricaded the family inside their home and burnt the body without letting anybody know. When we questioned the police, this is what they did.” The police inspector in the video clip remained tightlipped and evasive on the questions she raised on the spot. “#HathrasCase Major ruckus in the village right now. UP cops & officials forcing kin to cremate body overnight. Family begging that let us at least take the girl home one last time. Village people came in front of the ambulance, saying “we will not let you burn our girl forcibly.” All pleas of family heard with dumb ears. “#HathrasCase UP Police officials forcing grieving parents to cremate the body overnight saying, “I’m from Rajasthan & in our culture we don’t keep the body for long. Baaki sab aap dekh lijiye.” Mother is begging in front of the cops, please let me take the body home once, only once,” Tanushree tweeted.
The way dead body of the victim hastily cremated in the midnight by the police and district administration in the village fields that gave abundant opportunity to opponents targeting UP chief minister for the unholy, unreligious, inhuman and unpardonable act of arbitrariness. The unprofessional approach and intrinsic behavioural malice displayed by local administration ultimately provided good opportunity to opposition parties to target chief minister on this account.
The slumbering law enforcing machinery of the state swung into action soon after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi effectively intervened as a measure of damage control and spoke the chief minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure a fair probe and justice to the victim and his family. Thereafter CM constituted SIT and directed to fast track trial against guilty people to ensure strongest punishment.
Assuring him of sternest action against guilty, the CM immediately after conversation, appointed a three member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Home Secretary of the state Bhagwan Swarup, DIG Chandra Prakash and PAC Commandant
Poonam as its member with instructions to submit its report within seven days but its term further extended for 10 more days to complete probe.
Modi’s concern over the escalating caste tensions, particularly among weaker sections of the society, underline his political consciousness as he successfully won the support of Valmiki community by symbolic worshiping and washing their feet in a ceremony during the Mahakumbh 2019 just before the Lok Sabha elections to acquire the nationwide support of this powerful community. The Hathras victim belongs to Valmiki community who traditionally voted for Congress party under Gandhian influence ever since pre-independence days and had many parliamentarians and legislatures who won as Congress party nominees in Lok Sabha and state legislatures.
Sensing the caste chemistry behind the Modi’s sudden intervention the Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi shrewdly responded to win back them and participated in a prayer meet at Delhi’s Valmiki Temple at Panchkuian Road on Gandhi Jayanti amid nationwide outrage over the alleged rape and murder of a 20-year-old Dalit woman of the community in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. “We will ensure justice for our sister. We won’t sit quietly till she does not get justice,” she said, addressing a crowd of Congress supporters and members of the Valmiki community who organised the event.
Priyanka’s visit to this temple was not just a coincident. It was a maturely taken decision as Mahatma Gandhi also spent many days in the same Valmiki temple during the independence movement and worked for their social integration bringing them to main stream of the society. After the protest, both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka were allowed by administration to visit Hathras victims’ family on October 3 with a delegation of five members including KC Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Adhir Ranjan Choudhury.
A day earlier UP Police detained Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka on the outskirts of the Uttar Pradesh while going to meet the victims’ family in Hathras village. After being escorted back to Delhi by UP police, Priyanka tweeted to say that the Adityanath government is “oppressive”. She said that Police stopped Congress leaders forcedly from visiting the victim’s family at Boolgarhi in Hathras, and even they barred media into the village. She alleged that the district magistrate of Hathras has also threatened the victim’s family to remain silent.
The top officials from the UP government, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi and the Director-General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthy went to Boolgarhi to meet the woman’s family members. The family members of the deceased alleged that the district administration’s officials have been intimidating them to remain silent, and that they have been practically living in a house-arrest amidst tight security all around their house.
Meanwhile, UP chief minister Adityanath recommended a CBI investigation in the Hathras case. Under pressure from various fronts for its evident mishandling of the case, his office tweeted, “Chief Minister @myogiadityanath Ji has ordered the CBI to conduct a probe into the entire Hathras case.” However, CBI has not taken over the investigations officially as of now.
As a measure to pacify public outburst against alleged police atrocities, the chief minister Yogi Adityanath suspended SP Hathras Vikrant Vir for slackness and inefficient superintendence. CO Ram Shabad, Inspector Dinesh Kumar Verma Sub Inspector Jagvir Singh and a head constable Mahesh Pal too were placed under suspension and they would be put forward for a narco test for lie detection. SP Shamli district Vineet Jaswal has taken over as new SP Hathras. The CM has also granted a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a house in Hathras city for the girl’s family, apart from a job for one member. The trial in the case will be fast-tracked.
The state administration caught unaware about the international ramifications of the incident as growing crime against women belonging to weaker sections in Uttar Pradesh provided an opportunity to United Nations to take note of such unfortunate happenings. The UN in India also commented on the Hathras incident and the recent death of another Dalit woman after alleged gang rape in Balrampur District of Uttar Pradesh provoking an explanatory reply from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The UN Resident Coordinator in India Renata Dessallien in a statement said, “The UN in India is profoundly saddened and concerned at the continuing cases of sexual violence against women and girls in India.” The Ministry of External Affairs reacted to her statement and called the comment “unwarranted” saying, “UN Resident Coordinator in India should be aware that the government takes these cases extremely serious and the investigation is still underway.”
The callousness of local administration reflected in their delayed action right from the day the heinous crime reported. The incident occurred on September 14 at around 9.30 am. Both the 19-year- old victim and her mother were working in the fields in Bhoolgarhi village of Hathras. The fields owned by upper-caste farmers where victim and her mother often went to collect grass for their animals. The victim’s mother heard screams her daughter and rushes to find her. To her horror, she finds the young girl lying blood-soaked and her tongue cut off. The mother says she covered her daughter with her scarf and the same blood-soaked cloth. The mother called her son, who reaches the spot on his bike after some time. They both take the victim to the local police station Chandpa.
The victim reached the Chandpa police station along with her mother and brother at around 10.30 am where she narrated her nightmare in a semiconscious stage and recorded a statement before the police lodging a formal complaint. Media reports suggest police delayed registering the victim’s complaint and asked her family to take her away. While the victim slips in and out of consciousness, her brother alleged that an attempt on her life was carried out by Sandeep Singh. Based on the complaint, local police files an FIR against accused Sandeep under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). In the initial video testimony the victim in a tumbling voice said, “gala daba diyaa [I was strangled]. Asked why, she replies “Jabardasti na karne de rahi tasu,” meaning that “because I resisted their forced advances.”
Police took her to the nearby primary health centre (PHC) in their jeep where around 12.30 pm PHC doctor says the victim’s condition is serious the local clinic does not have the facilities to treat her. The victim was referred to the Aligarh Muslim University’s JN Medical College and Hospital. The JN Medical College Aligarh officially admitted the victim at 4.10 pm but the JN Hospital records indicate the victim was not admitted till the evening.
Over the next week the victim’s condition worsens, however, she regains consciousness and speaks to her family. On September 19 victim’s statement recorded at JN Medical College. She named two attackers including Sandeep and made first explicit mention of sexual assault. Based on her statement, the police took action under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and 354 (molestation) and arrested Sandeep Singh.
Doctors at Aligarh’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital said at the time of admission the same day that the girl found paralysed with a severe spinal injury and several broken bones. Her mother described dreadful depiction. “When I saw my daughter (on the farm), she was bleeding. Her tongue had been cut off, the police are untruthful when they deny it. Before fainted, she mentioned the name of the accused in her brother’s ears. We first thought village boys had thrashed her, but later it was found that she had been gang-raped.”
Thereafter on September 21-22, Victim recorded her statements before a magistrate wherein she named three attackers — Luvkush, Ravi and Ramu besides Sandeep Singh and blamed them of sexual assault. This is her last available lawfully recorded statement. Police filed case against all under charges of gang rape along with attempt to murder that later converted into murder after she succumbed to her injuries.
Former Hathras SP maintains no evidence of sexual assault has been found by medical experts. In their medical report, JNMC doctors say that there are signs of use of force, however, opinion regarding penetration intercourse is reserved pending availability of the forensic report.
September 21-26: Over the next five days, the remaining three accused were arrested. Victim condition turned critical on September 28 and she was shifted to the Safdurjung Hospital in Delhi. AMU doctors later clarify they referred her to AIIMS. Victim died early morning of September 29 at Safdurjung Hospital.
Phone tapping of journalists condemned
“The Editors Guild Of India condemns the manner in which the law enforcement agencies of the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, have prevented media persons from reporting on developments in and around Hathras after a brutal assault on a woman leading to her death and the hurried cremation of her body by the authorities without the presence of the family of the deceased.”
In a joint press statement issued by Guild’s President Shekhar Gupta, General Secretary A.K. Bhattacharya and treasurer Sheela Bhatt said, “Equally reprehensible is the way the government has tapped the telephones of journalists engaged in covering the Hathras incidents. Worse, the tapped conversation of the journalists has been selectively leaked, leading to a social media calumny against them.”
“Not allowing the media to visit the incident spots and tapping the phone conversation of journalists undermine and obstruct the functioning of the media.” The Guild demands that the government creates conditions in Hathras that do not obstruct journalists in any way.
Hathras is the worst such case in the scale of interference but the Guild also notes with concern that such attacks against the media are becoming part of a growing trend seen in recent months, in which a few other state governments have also indulged in such harassment of journalists. The Guild condemns these and demands corrective action.
On October 3, India Today issued a statement supporting its reporter questioning the authorities for recording the call, asking why its journalist’s phone — or the phones of the family of the deceased — are being kept under surveillance. The statement also questioned the legal basis on which phone calls are being recorded and leaked.
“The Uttar Pradesh administration has barred journalists from entering Hathras and is not allowing the victim’s family to speak to the media. This evening, the audio of telephone call between the victim’s brother, Sandeep and India Today’s reporter, Tanushree Pandey, was leaked on social media.”
“India Today first asks why was the telephone of our reporter, who was covering the Hathras murder, being tapped? If it was Sandeep’s phone that was being tapped, then the government needs to answer why are the phones of the grieving victim‖s family under surveillance or being tapped. And under what provisions of law where the phones tapped and call recordings leaked by officials who had access to these recordings.” the statement of media house stated.
Priyanka fills up vacuum of opposition leadership
The political sensitivity and boldness of Priyanka Gandhi provided her opportunity to fill up the void of strong opposition to stand up against the alleged arbitrariness of Yogi rule as other political parties preferred social media platforms rather than coming to ground. She gave Congress party an upper hand to come out from political oblivion.
Holding the chief minister Yogi Adityanath accountable for women security Priyanka Gandhi aggressively tweeted on 29th September, “A Dalit girl who suffered brutal criminal assault in Hathras succumbed at Safdarjung Hospital. She struggled with life and death in hospitals for two weeks. Incidents of rape in Hathras, Shahjahanpur and Gorakhpur have stunned the state. Law and order in UP has deteriorated to an extreme extent. There is no safety of women for the namesake. The criminals are committing crime openly. The killers of this girl must be punished rigorously. @myogiadityanath You are responsible for the safety of women in UP.”
The next morning at 8.46 am Priyanka again targeted UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath demanding his resignation over what had happened in Hathras in the previous night and tweeted, “At 2.30 in the night, the family continuously pleaded with despair, but the body of the victim of Hathras was forcibly burnt by the UP administration. The government did not provide her safety when she was alive and even timely medical aid was not given to her after the attack.”
In continuation she tweeted, “After the tragic death of the victim, the government even deprived the family members of the right to a dignified funeral of their daughter. Very Inhumane. You did not stop the crime, but in turn behaved like a criminal. Did not stop the atrocities and doubled up the amount of torture on an innocent child and her family. @myogiadityanath Resign. There is no justice in your rule, only injustice.”
Priyanka maintained the fire on 3rd October slamming UP government, she tweeted, “UP government is morally corrupt. Victim failed to have treatment, Her complaint did not register timely, Her dead body forcibly burnt, Her family is in confinement, Now they are facing threat to go for a Narco test. This treatment is not acceptable to the nation. Stop threatening the family.”
Priyanka took the command of the party with a challenging pledge to revive lost glory of her party that had become redundant and obsolete political force losing its relevance due to desertion of its political vote bank due to its lopsided policies annoying Muslims, Dalits and other backward classes. Brahmins too deserted to ruling BJP after suffocated with BSP rule. Now They look further uncomfortable and Congress revival could change their mind and following.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were on October 1st stopped en route to Hathras to meet the 19-year-old Dalit woman’s family, managed to reach the village on 3rd October and spent an hour at their residence. On Gandhi Jayanti Priyanka drew national attention by visiting Valmiki temple to express her solidarity with the victim’s family to access fair investigations and justice.
“Priyanka sat with me, asked me about my daughter, how she died, what happened on September 14…. She asked about her cremation,” the victim’s mother said after the Congress leaders left the village. “They just asked us about our daughter, and promised to help us get justice.”
Earlier in the day, Priyanka and Rahul had run into heavy police deployment on the DND while crossing the UP boarder. As their vehicle drove alongside a crowd of Congress workers and moved towards the DND exit, some party workers faced scuffle with policemen positioned near the toll gates.
As some Congress workers faced police batons, Priyanka got off the vehicle and attempted to shield them. She eventually pushed some police personnel and moved the barricades aside from one exit as the motorcade inched forward behind them.
As the two leaders were surrounded with more than 50 UP Police personnel and joint magistrate Prem Prakash Meena at the victim’s residence. The victim’s brother Sandeep told media persons, “They reassured us all help that they can do.”
While leaders of the Congress, TMC, Left, AAP and other Opposition parties have hit the streets against the Hathras incident, two major Opposition leaders of Uttar Pradesh — SP’s Akhilesh Yadav (above) and BSP’s Mayawati — are conspicuously absent on the grounds though they are active on social media twitter platform and condemned the incident. — MM
HC to examine Right to decent and dignified last rites
Even before the apex court, The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court took suo- moto cognizance soon after getting the reports through media about the fatal assault and alleged gang rape of a Dalit woman in Hathras, especially her hurried cremation.
Visibly upset bench directed the matter to be examined in the light of “Rights to decent and dignified last rites/cremation” quoting the words of Oscar Wilde the court remarked, “Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses wearing above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace.”
The bench directed the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary (Home), Director General of Police, U.P. Lucknow, Additional Director General, Law and Order, U.P., District Magistrate, Hathras, Superintendent of Police, Hathras to appear before the Court and put forth their version with support of requisite material on 12th October. They shall also apprise the Court about the status of the investigation relating to the crime against the deceased victim. The Bench also sought a report from the District Judge, Hathras.
The high court also summoned family members of the deceased before it on that day so that the court could hear their version of the cremation organised by the police in the middle of the night, and wondered if the authorities acted thus because of their economic status. It also said that it would decide “as to the necessity of monitoring the investigation or getting it conducted through an independent agency as per law”.
The Bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Jaspreet Singh, quoting various newspapers and news channel reports said, “while four accused had been arrested and a SIT set up to probe the matter, However, for the moment, we are concerned with what has happened thereafter. The incidents which took place after the death of the victim on 29.09.2020 leading up to her cremation, as alleged, have shocked our conscience; therefore, we are taking suo moto cognizance of the same.”
The court said the matter is of “immense public importance and public interest” as there are allegations of “high-handedness by the state authorities resulting in violation of the basic human and fundamental rights not only of the deceased victim but also of her family members”.
The bench observed, “As it is, the deceased victim was treated with extreme brutality by the perpetrators of the crime, and what is alleged to have happened thereafter, if true, amounts to perpetuating the misery of the family and rubbing salt in their wounds.” The court made it clear that it would like to examine “whether the economic and social status of the deceased’s family has been taken advantage of by the state authorities to oppress and deprive them of their Constitutional rights?”
The court pointed out that the report quoted the father as saying that, “the woman’s body was released from hospital without them being informed, and denying the police version that the family had said that the timing of the cremation would not matter.” The court also cited other media reports regarding the matter in its orders.
The Bench instructed officials to ensure no pressure was exerted on the family members of the deceased victim. The court said that according to reports, the cremation was done “around 2-2.30 am”. It said the family of the deceased follows Hindu traditions, “according to which last rites are not performed after sunset and before day break”.
The judges lamented quoting Mahatma Gandhi, “This is a time to strengthen our resolve to live up to the ideas which Bapu’ stood for, but, unfortunately, ground realities are very different from the high values propagated and practiced by the Father of our Nation.”
‘Politics over dead bodies of poor will be dealt with heavy hands’
On Hathras incident, the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came down heavily on those doing politics over the “dead bodies of the poor” and asserted that his government will “deal with them with a heavy hand”. His government has been facing severe criticism from the Opposition parties over its handling of the murder and alleged gang rape of the 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras by upper cast accused.
His public outburst over the incident came forward in a virtual meeting with the BJP office-bearers of the Bangarmau (Unnao) Assembly constituency, where by-election is taking place on November 3 because of vacancy arose after BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar convicted and disqualified in a brutal case of rape and murder conspiracy.
He said, “the faces of those doing politics on the dead bodies of the poor are getting exposed and the government will identify each one of them and deal with them with a heavy hand as per the law of the land.”
A day earlier Chief Minister revealed that there was a conspiracy to malign his government’s image by whipping up “acrimony” in society. “The Opposition has nothing to rise than indulge in negative publicity. They are constantly trying to split our society thereby hampering the development of the state,” he reiterated.
Taking jibe on opposition Yogi Adityanath said, “These are the ones for whom the poor have just been a vote bank and poverty alleviation is just another rhetorical political slogan with no heart for their uplift.”
He alleged that for the opposition, “politics is like a business affair where they can stoop to any low to run their business. They perceive everything through the spectacles of caste, religion and regionalism.” “These disruptive elements may resort to any misdeed and disintegrate the social structure in order to keep their vote banks intact,” chief minister remarked.
“We should assure people that we will not allow their evil designs to succeed,” Adityanath added during conversation.
“You must have seen their faces, those who protested against the CAA; those who, during the corona pandemic, protected Tablighi Jamaat who tried to spread the disease…who created chaos at different levels in the state…not only did the government unmask them but also took steps to counter these elements,” the CM told his party workers.
The UP Police filed 21 cases across the state against, among other charges, attempts to “incite caste and communal tension and defame the state government” using social media platforms and public meetings. The charges include sedition, criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity.
The Adityanath-led government has been in firing range of hot criticism from the Congress Party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party over its handling of the murder and alleged gangrape of the 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, including her hurried cremation by police without participation and presence of her family. The Opposition parties demanded the resignation of Yogi Adityanath. — MM
OPPOSITION VOICES
Ink hurled at AAP MP Sanjay Singh
Participating in Nationwide protest over the Hathras gang rape and brutal murder The Aam Aadmi Party delegation to the victim’s village was confronted by a man who hurled ink at party MP Sanjay Singh in the territory of Uttar Pradesh.
Singh was addressing reporters when a man threw black ink on his white kurta and shouted “PFI dalal wapas jao.” Singh left the spot in his vehicle immediately after the incident.
The Hathras police held the accused soon after the incident. The AAP leaders later claimed that the accused was one Deepak Sharma, a controversial Hindutva vigilante, who has been troubled previously for stoking communal sentiments. They also shared his photos with BJP leaders as well as UP ADGP Prashant Kumar.
In Maharashtra AAP workers protested against Hatras incident on Monday evening at Indiranagar in Thane.
Mayawati demands CBI or SC monitored probe
BSP president Mayawati demanded a CBI probe or Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the Hathras incident, as she said people were not satisfied with the initial investigations in the matter.
“There is tremendous resentment in the entire country over the Hathras heinous gang-rape case. The public does not seem satisfied with the initial probe report. Therefore, this matter should be investigated by the CBI or under the supervision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. This is the demand of the BSP,” Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.
“Also, the honourable President of the country, who also comes from UP and is a Dalit, it is a strong appeal to him to intervene in this case, keeping in mind the inhuman attitude of the government, to bring justice to the victim family,” she said in another tweet.
BSP also sit idle and did not come on the streets for lodging protest though the party was considered to be champion of Dalit causes.
Akhilesh termed cremation as sinful crime
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav terming the midnight cremation a “sinful crime” said, “Police under the pressure of the government and without consent of the family cremated the body of victim, who suffered rape and murder, in the night is totally against the rituals and condemnable act of destroying evidences. The BJP government committed sin and crime.”
Socialists stand shoulder to shoulder in the justice struggle of the victim’s family.
The workers of Samajwadi Party were forcibly restraint by the police at Agra’s Khandauli toll who were heading for Boolgarhi village of Hathras to express condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased daughter.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav had set up an 11-member fact-finding team headed by the party’s state unit chief Naresh Uttam Patel to visit the village on 4th October to meet the family of the victim. He said that police at the behest of the government stopped the delegation at a toll plaza near Agra.
The Trinmool Congress
The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took out a protest rally in Kolkata against the Hathras case and launched a scathing attack against the BJP, calling it the “biggest pandemic” torturing Dalits the most and running a “dictatorship” in the country.
Banerjee said she would stand by the Dalit community till the end as she does not believe in caste and treat “humanity” as my caste. “I do not believe in differentiation on the grounds of caste and religion,” she added.
The TMC has alleged that its leaders were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police from meeting the family members of the Hathras gangrape victim. Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien was pushed to the ground by UP police, in an attempt to stop him while party members made their way towards Boolgarhi village.
The other members of delegation were Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Pratima Mondal and Mamata Thakur.
Left Leaders want judicial inquiry
A group of top leaders of the Left today met the family of the Dalit woman in Hathras. The leaders include Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) and D Raja, Amarjeet Kaur, and Dr Girish Sharma of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
“We have come to express empathy with family and want judicial enquiry, not by state-led organisation,” Mr Yechury said after meeting the family. CPI leader D. Raja said Dalit families are not treated like human beings.
Earlier, Left-affiliated outfits, protesters burned effigy of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath at Jantar Mantar in Delhi demanding his resignation.
DMK protests in Chennai
A Dalit woman has been brutally raped in UP’s Hathras. We are seeking justice and we want to make sure that these incidents don’t repeat. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was pushed to the ground; this is a pushdown to democracy: DMK chief MK Stalin in Chennai.
DMK president M K Stalin addressed the gathering at Little Mount and lighted the candle for DMK women’s wing march, led by Kanimozhi MP, towards Raj Bhavan seeking justice for Hathras victim. The march was named ‘Save Our Daughters.’
DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi at the vigil in Chennai expressed her anger said, “A cruel rape happened in Uttar Pradesh, where a girl was brutally raped. UP govt is trying to hide the rape incident. Since BJP government has come to power, crimes against women have been rising.”
DMK organised a candlelight vigil in Chennai against the alleged gang-rape case in Hathras, UttarPradesh. Party MP Kanimozhi along with few other workers was detained later by the police in Tamil Nadu.
FIR filed against Bhim Army chief
An FIR has been registered at Sasni police station of Hathras against Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and 400-500 unnamed people for violation of Section 144 in Hathras. After initially having been denied entry into the village, Aazad and his supporters had staged a dharna on the road in large numbers.
The FIR states that Aazad and his supporters flouted Covid-19 guidelines despite the police team allegedly trying to make him understand that Section 144 had been imposed in the area.
A few hours after his protest on 4th october, Aazad was allowed to visit the family but police granted him permission with a restriction that he will not take more than 10 people with him.
Having met the family, he had said that the family members were scared of retaliation from the dominant caste community and demanded that they must be provided with Y- level security from the government.
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