Gang Rape of Hathras: Members of the so-called upper castes in Hathras will hold a meeting today.
New Delhi:
Members of the so-called upper castes in Hathras are holding a rally in support of the men arrested for the alleged gang rape and murder of a 20-year-old from the programmed castes, sparking outrage across the country. BJP leader Rajveer Singh Pehelwan, in whose home the meeting will take place, said he is involved “in a personal capacity”.
The woman died in a Delhi hospital on September 29. Yogi Adityanath’s government is under pressure from police handling of the case, which included a cremation of the woman’s body at 2 am, while her family remained locked up.
“We have informed the police about the meeting. A First Informative Report must be presented against the family of the woman (victim). The accused have been falsely attacked,” said one of the organizers.
A meeting of so-called upper caste men was also held on Friday near the town where the woman lived.
Large gatherings remain banned in the district amid public outrage at the brutality the woman faced, in which many have found a parallel to the Nirbhaya case of eight years ago. Technically, today’s competition does not need permission from the police as it takes place in a private residence.
On Thursday, the police arrested Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Congress as they were on their way to meet the family in Hathras.
On Saturday, they made another attempt, which was briefly halted midway with a clash between Congressional workers and Uttar Pradesh police at the toll plaza at the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyover.
“No force can silence us,” Gandhi told the media after meeting with the family.
Today, the head of Bhim’s army, Chandrashekhar Azad, is on his way to Hathras to meet the family.
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