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Mayawati slams rivals for playing politics over Meerut Dalit girl’s murder case
Mayawati urged the family and community members to seek justice by following the path shown by BR Ambedkar
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday slammed rival parties for “playing politics” with the murder of a Dalit girl in Meerut.
Addressing a press conference, the BSP chief stated that in districts like Meerut, Saharanpur, Prayagraj and Hardoi as well as in other states, certain political parties and organisations are provoking the victims’ families and community members to take to the streets for their own selfish, narrow-minded political gain. She alleged that these groups are misguiding people to block roads and engage in tussles with the local administration.
“Leaders of some political parties are shedding crocodile tears for political gain,” she said, adding that such actions will not bring justice to the victims but rather increase the hardships faced by their families.
She urged the family and community members to seek justice by following the path shown by BR Ambedkar, who advised that members of the Scheduled Caste community should not take the law into their own hands but should fight within the legal framework. “If the family does not receive justice in a lower court, they should appeal to the Supreme Court,” she advised.
She encouraged them to launch peaceful protests while maintaining unity and emphasised the need to “grab the master key of power,” calling it the only solution to achieving freedom from hardship. She asserted that the BSP is working for the social justice and empowerment of weaker sections, urging the community not to deviate from the path shown by their leaders and icons.
She warned the community to remain alert to the designs of various political parties and organisations attempting to agitate people with an eye on upcoming assembly and local body elections. She also advised members of the Scheduled Caste community to draw lessons from the Poona Pact and the teachings of Gautam Buddha.
The body of a 20-year-old student was found in a sugarcane field in Meerut on May 17. While police have arrested the prime accused in connection with her death, locals and Dalit organisations, outraged by the perceived lack of prompt action, gathered at the Meerut Collectorate on Thursday to demand justice and the arrest of remaining co-conspirators. During the demonstrations, police used a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, UP Congress Committee president Ajay Rai and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad have condemned the murder and demanded action against the culprits.
