Protesters protest Hathras investigation
The dominant caste group is agitating outside the victim’s village in Hathras calling for an impartial issue on the matter from the state government-formed SIT.
- News18.com
- Last update: October 4, 2020 2:14 PM IST
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Amid nationwide outrage against the alleged rape of a 19-year-old girl in UP’s Hathras, members of the ‘upper castes’ have begun protesting in support of the four defendants arrested for gang rape and the murder of the girl.
The ‘upper caste’ group is agitating outside the defendants’ village in Hathras calling for an impartial investigation into the matter by the state government-formed SIT.
The protesters allege that the matter has become politicized and the four defendants are being unfairly targeted. One of the protesters said that if our children (the accused) are guilty, then they must be punished, ‘the innocent must not be blamed and the guilty must not be forgiven’.
Uttar Pradesh Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday recommended a CBI investigation into the alleged gang rape and death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman that sparked outrage across the country. The decision was announced by the Chief Minister’s Office after Congressional leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ended their visit to the victim’s family home in a village in Hathras district.
The protest started after a ‘panchayat’ meeting held in the village of Bhagna, which is 5 kilometers from the victim’s village. Nearly everyone in attendance reportedly favored the four defendants responsible for brutalizing the teenage girl that resulted in her death. The panchayat claimed that some political parties were trying to use the case for their own benefit.
Bhim’s army chief Chandrasekhar Azad is scheduled to visit the victim’s family today. Congress, BSP and Bhim’s army have called for the matter to be investigated and the defendants strictly punished and officials involved in putting pressure on the victim’s family suspended. A delegation from the Samajwadi Party leaves for Hathras to meet the family of the gang rape victim. The BJP, for its part, has accused opposition parties of politicizing the issue.
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