Groundswell in Delhi demanding justice for Hathras rape victim
Hang culprits, says Kejriwal while participating in Jantar Mantar protest
Hundreds of civil society members, students, women and political leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, gathered at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi on Friday in a massive protest to demand justice to the young woman who died a fortnight after being allegedly gang-raped in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The protest was to be held at India Gate initially but had to shifted to Jantar Mantar owing to the prohibitory orders in place in the Rajpath area.
Wearing masks and raising slogans against the UP government, they demanded that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath resign, alleging his administration was “shielding” the accused. Most of the protesters said they were outraged over the way the UP police cremated the body of the victim in the dead of the night.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who had tried to march to Hathras with her brother Rahul after being briefly detained by police in Greater Noida, attended a separate prayer meeting for the Dalit woman. She said every woman needs to raise her voice and question the government to seek justice for the “daughter of Hathras”. Chief Minister Kejriwal, actor Swara Bhasker, Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar Azad, AAP legislator Saurabh Bhardwaj, Left leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury also attended. Addressing protesters, Kejriwal said there should be no politics over the issue and the accused must get the strictest punishment. “The entire country wants that the culprits be given stringent punishment, hang them so that such an incident is never repeated in the country. Some people feel that attempts are being made to save them. At this time, the victim’s family needs all the possible help,” he said.
Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan said the police have surrounded the village, are not allowing opposition leaders and mediapersons to enter it and have taken away the mobile phones of the family members of the victim. “What is happening in UP is goondaraj,” he alleged. “I will visit Hathras,” said Azad at Jantar Mantar. “Our struggle will continue till the time the UP CM doesn’t resign and justice is served. I urge the SC to take cognizance.”