Updated: October 2, 2020 3:16:50 pm
Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena pushes Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien. (Videograb)
A delegation of deputies from the Trinamool Congress was prevented on Friday from entering the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, where they had gone to meet the family of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly attacked and assaulted by upper caste men. on September 14 and succumbed to his injuries on September 29.
The party claimed that the deputies – Derek O’Brien, Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Pratima Mondal and Mamata Thakur – had been detained by Uttar Pradesh police 1.5 kilometers from the victim’s village. They hoped to “express solidarity with the grieving family and convey their condolences,” the party said. Follow live updates of the Hathras protests
“We are heading peacefully to Hathras to meet the family and express our condolences. We travel individually and maintain all protocols. We are not armed. Why do we stop? What kind of raj jungle is this that MPs-elect are not allowed to meet with a grieving family?
Footage from the incident shows police personnel pushing MPs who tried to continue their journey on foot.
WATCH: ABOVE Joint Justice Prem Prakash Meena pushes Deputy from Trinamool Congress @derekobrienmp
https://t.co/BVIR5yqy9k pic.twitter.com/sQi440P8vp– The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) October 2, 2020
The incident comes a day after UP Police banned congressional leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from entering Hathras, and then arrested. Rahul also had a fight with the police on Thursday and had even fallen to the ground in the melee.
Several opposition parties have condemned the way the case has been handled. Bhim’s army chief Chandrasekhar Azad said on Friday that his party would hold a protest at 5 pm at the India Gate in the national capital to challenge the prime minister’s silence on the case.
AAP Coordinator and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and PCN Leader Supriya Sule are among the leaders who have targeted the UP government over the case.
Read also | Forensic report shows Hathras teenager was not raped: police
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday learned of suo motu of the case, and ordered senior state government and police officials to be present at the next hearing on October 12.
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