Updated: October 3, 2020 8:06:42 am
On Thursday, District Magistrate Praveen Kumar Laxkar had told the media that the village where the woman lived had been sealed due to the SIT investigation and Section 144 imposed in Hathras. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
About 500 meters from the village where a 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper caste men, hundreds of people from the Thakur community organized a protest on Friday in support of the accused and demanded justice for them.
Starting at 10 a.m., protesters said they discussed the case and raised some concerns about the arrests and the investigation.
One protester, Ojvir Singh Rana, said: “We respect the DM’s orders (on prohibitive orders) but we held a protest to speak out against injustice. An incident has tarnished the image of our community. The police and authorities do not have sufficient evidence (against the accused). If he is guilty, punish him, but if he is not, please release him ”.
Another local resident, Govind Sharma, said: “My friends told me that a mahapanchayat will be held to discuss the case. We sat near a field where the village pradhan and some other locals gave speeches about the accused and their families. We all know that the medical report does not confirm the violation. We are being attacked and we don’t want to be called ‘oppressors’, there is no such situation here. “
Village Pradhan Ram Kumar did not respond to calls and texts from The Indian Express for comment.
Rana said: “We respect all communities. I myself am a farmer and worker. I can understand what the family is going through, but they shouldn’t make accusations against men and call it ‘caste violence’.
Local residents from nearby towns also came to support the accused and attended the protest.
On Thursday, District Magistrate Praveen Kumar Laxkar had told the media that the village where the woman lived had been sealed due to the SIT investigation and Section 144 imposed in Hathras.
The protesters were removed from the field within an hour and police deployed to the area. Local police officials said only a few protesters gathered on the ground and were dispersed after officers intervened.
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