Priyanka Gandhi had met victim's family earlier this month.
The attempts to defame the 20-year-old gang rape victim from Hathras by holding her "responsible for crimes committed against her is revolting and regressive", Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said today, condemning the fresh allegations and theories that have emerged in the alleged gang rape and murder case in Uttar Pradesh that has drawn angry protests across the country.
The woman deserves "justice not slander", the Congress General Secretary tweeted using hashtag "shameless" BJP.
The 20-year-old woman died in Delhi last month during her treatment for horrific injuries she had sustained after she was assaulted by four men of her village on September 14.
The Congress leader's remarks came after a letter by one of the accused blaming the victim's family of beating her to death over their "friendship" emerged.
Sandeep Thakur, the main accused in the case, has written to the Uttar Pradesh police, claiming that the girl sustained injuries after she was beaten up by her family over their "friendship" and were now trying to frame him for his death. "Apart from meeting, we used to speak on the phone once in a while," he wrote in the handwritten letter to the police on Wednesday. He alleged that her family did not like their friendship.
The Uttar Pradesh police, citing call records, has claimed that the victim's brother knew one of the accused and some 104 calls were made between them from October last year to March.
The victim's father has denied the allegations made by the accused. "I have lost my daughter. Now they are trying to malign us. We are not afraid. The allegations are totally false. We don't need want any compensation or any money. We want justice," the woman's father told NDTV.
On Wednesday, a Special Investigation Team or SIT, set up by the Yogi Adityanath government, was given 10 more days to deliver its findings. The three-member team questioned the woman's brother. "We have no contact with them. We have only one phone in the home. If the police has the audio of the calls, they must produce them," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh government has been under intense attack over its handling of the case - which also saw late-night cremation of the victim allegedly without family's consent and for barring media and politicians from meeting the victim's family -- which has led to massive protests across the country.
Chief Minister Adityanath has claimed his government has a "zero tolerance" policy on crimes against women. "UP Govt has a policy of zero tolerance against crimes. Due to continuous action by the state government, there has been a significant reduction in crimes against girls/women," he said.