Hathras gangrape: Rahul, Priyanka to set off for woman’s home again to meet her family

Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Rajesh Lilothia, Sushmita Dev, Ajay Lallu, PL Punia, and Deepender Hooda are likely to accompany the Gandhis

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra plan to leave for Hathras around noon on Saturday to meet the family of the 19-year-old Dalit woman, who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered. The Uttar Pradesh police prevented the two from meeting the family on Thursday.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with party workers on their way to Hathras on October 1. (PTI)

Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Rajesh Lilothia, Sushmita Dev, Ajay Lallu, PL Punia, and Deepender Hooda are likely to accompany the Gandhis.

“Congress MPs [members of Parliament] under the leadership of former Congress President Shri. @RahulGandhi will go to #Hathras today [Saturday] afternoon to meet the grieving family of the 19 year old daughter of Uttar Pradesh, who was brutally assaulted & murdered,” Venugopal tweeted.

“@INCIndia [Congress] delegation led by Shri. @RahulGandhi will meet the family members to hear their grievances & demand justice for the victim & her family who have been denied justice & severely traumatized by the BJP Government in UP.”

The Uttar Pradesh police have cordoned off the woman’s village to prevent journalists and opposition leaders from meeting the family. The authorities have also allegedly seized phones of the family and put them under surveillance.

The woman was attacked and gang-raped on September 14, and rushed to a hospital in Aligarh. Eight days later, on September 22, she recorded her statement, where she said she was raped and named the four accused. Her mother’s statement echoed the claims. As her condition deteriorated, she was moved to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital on September 28 and died in the early hours of September 29, sparking nationwide protests.

Later that evening, police drove the family and the victim’s body back to the Hathras village but proceeded to cremate the body without the consent of the parents. At 2.30am on September 30, the policemen cremated her body even as the family alleged they were restricted from even getting a final glimpse of their daughter.

A day after the controversial cremation, prohibitive orders were clamped and the village was made off-limits for journalists and “outsiders”.

Since then, protests against the crime have swept the nation and prompted several opposition leaders to try and visit the village – but have all been thwarted by the state police. Citing forensic reports, the police have denied that the woman was raped but experts have pointed to lapses in procedure during the medical examination.

Priyanka Gandhi joined hundreds of people in New Delhi on Friday to express solidarity with the woman’s family. “We are all here to ensure that the girl gets justice. We will pressure the government to get her justice,” she said.

“Her family has got no help from the state government. They must feel they are all alone. We are holding the prayer meeting for them. They should know that they are not alone and fight the injustice being done to them. We will put political pressure and every woman in this country must put moral pressure on the government.”