Derek O’Brien, a Rajya Sabha (RS) member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), was pushed to the ground by a Uttar Pradesh (UP) police team on Friday afternoon when he and other lawmakers had tried to visit the village of Bul Gargi in Hathras, where a 19-year-old Dalit woman had died earlier this week after she was allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men in September.
Kakoli Ghosh-Dastidar, who represents the Barasat constituency in Lok Sabha and was part of the TMC delegation, was also allegedly ill-treated by the UP Police.
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The TMC delegation had landed on the outskirts of the women’s village on Friday afternoon.
But they were asked to stay behind the barricades, which have been erected about a kilometer and a half from the town, which has become the center of political controversy since the crime was first reported.
O’Brien had urged UP Ghosh-Dastidar police to visit the injured relatives of the deceased woman. However, the police rejected his request.
“I’m sick and tired of UP,” O’Brien said.
“The arrogant police are mishandling the situation. Ghosh-Dastidar has been pushed to the ground for trying to comfort the victim’s relatives. We wanted to offer solidarity to his family, ”he said.
“It is a government atrocity against Dalits and women. Can’t I even meet and comfort the relatives of the victim? “asked Ghosh-Dastidar.
The situation between the media and the UP Police outside the town remained tense for the second day in a row amid reports of harassment of the woman’s relatives.
A young woman, who claimed to be the victim’s cousin, left town on the main road on Friday morning and alleged that the police had taken control of her family members.
He alleged that the victim’s father had passed out on Wednesday after police beat him with a stick.
“They have seized our mobile phones,” he alleged.
In addition, it alleged that the police had occupied the woman’s house and that the personnel were deployed on the streets of the village and even on the adjacent agricultural lands. She said she managed to sneak out of town via a secret route.
He ran as soon as the police approached him while speaking to the media.
Police personnel, who were deployed at the scene, did not respond to the complaints. However, they admitted that restrictions were placed on entering and leaving the town.
Vikrant Vir, Police Superintendent, Hathras, was not available for comment.
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