A case has been filed against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
A police case was lodged against Congress's Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra under the Epidemic Act on Thursday, hours after they were detained on way to Hathras. The two leaders had planned to meet the family of the 20-year-old woman who died on Tuesday after brutal torture and gang rape. But the Uttar Pradesh police had barricaded the roads to Hathras citing coronavirus. Amid widespread outrage over the brutality to the woman, who belonged to the Scheduled Castes, and the post-midnight funeral by the police, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has summoned the top officials of the state police and administration.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
The police case against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were filed at the Ecotech One police station of Gautam Budh Nagar. The First Information Report names 150 Congress workers, who had apparently accompanied the two leaders.
While the UP police claimed that some of its officials have contracted coronavirus and the restrictions have been in place since September 1, the Congress alleged these were tactics to prevent the Gandhis from entering the village.
The two leaders were detained on Thursday afternoon amid dramatic scenes on the highway between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi alleged that he was pushed to the ground and lathi-charged when he and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were marching on the highway after their convoy was stopped by the police. They were later released and taken back to Delhi by the policemen.
"Just now police pushed me, lathicharged me and threw me to the ground. I want to ask, can only Modi Ji walk in this country? Can't a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped, so we started walking," Rahul Gandhi said, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has asked t eh family of the woman to be present for the hearing on October 12 so the judges can ascertain the facts about the 2 am cremation..
In its notice, the court said the matter is of "immense public importance and public interest as it involves allegation of high-handedness by the State authorities resulting in violation of basic human and fundamental rights not only of the deceased victim but also her family members".
The UP police have said the postmortem report of the woman maintains that she was not raped and the rape rumour was deliberately spread to incite communal tension.
"Postmortem report says the victim died due to her neck injury. The report from the Forensic Science laboratory did not find any evidence of rape. This makes it clear that some people twisted the matter to stir caste-based tension. Such people will be identified and legal action will be taken against the," Additional Director General of Police Prashant Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Samajwadi Party also protested at the Hathras border, where they were stopped from proceeding to the woman's village. Since morning, reporters had also been barred from the village.
The 20-year-old who died on Tuesday had suffered multiple fractures, paralysis and severe spinal injury when she was assaulted by four men of the so-called upper castes from her village on September 14. The police said there was a gash in her tongue because she had bitten it when the men were trying to strangle her.
Post a comment