Uttar Pradesh police have claimed that they have detained four people linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Mathura, while on their way to Hathras from Delhi.
The event comes amid accusations by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that there is a major ‘international conspiracy’ to smear his government and attempts to provoke caste and communal riots over the murder and gang rape of a Dalit woman 19 years old in Hathras. district.
This is what you need to know:
1. The four men, according to the police, are linked to the Campus Front of India (CFI) student wing of the PFI. They were identified as Atiq-ur-Rehman, Siddiqui, Masood Ahmed and Alam.
2. In a press release late Monday, the police said the four were heading towards Hathras in a car and were detained when suspicions around their movement increased. All four are being questioned, the statement added.
3. On Monday, Adityanath alleged that there is an ‘international conspiracy’ to smear his government over the Hathras gang rape incident. Attempts are being made to stoke sectarian violence in the state, he further alleged.
4. The UP Police has presented 19 first information reports (FIR) in seven districts, including those of sedition and promotion of enmity between different groups, in this regard.
5. The woman was allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men in Hathras on 14 September. She died in a Delhi hospital on September 29 and was “forcibly cremated” by police in the early morning of September 30.
6. Last week, there was a steady stream of political visitors to your village. Among those who met with the victim’s family were Congressional leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday, two days after they were prevented from going there.
7. The UP government faces serious criticism for its handling of the incident. It has established a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case and also recommended an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Also, the case will be tried in fast track court.
8. UP police are also under intense scrutiny for cremating the victim’s body against the wishes of his family. He has also been accused of mistreating political leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Derek O’Brien and Jayant Chaudhary, and of misbehaving towards Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
9. The PFI was formed in Kerala in November 2006 by amalgamation of three Muslim organizations, which were formed after the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished in 1992. In recent days, it has come under scrutiny for its alleged role in anti-CAA (full version) protests in UP and communal riots in Delhi in February this year.
.
