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Priyanka meets Meerut, Muzaffarnagar victims, flays police brutality
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday met in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar the victims of police action and kin of those who died during the anti-Citizenship
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday met in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar the victims of police action and kin of those who died during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in the two cities on December 20.
On December 24, Priyanka and her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had tried to visit the victims’ families in Meerut, but were denied permission and compelled to return from outskirts of the city. Police had then stopped them, citing prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC.
On Saturday, district administration again denied her permission to Priyanka visit victims’ families in Meerut in the wake of section of 144. However, Priyanka met them on the outskirts of the city and assured every possible help in their fight for justice.
The congress general secretary met them while returning to Delhi after meeting victims’ families in Muzaffarnagar. She stopped at a colony situated on Meerut by-pass where her party officials had brought kin of the all the five persons who died during the protest against CAA on December 20.
City (Meerut) president of Congress Jahid Ansari said she spent over 30 minutes with the kin of victims, who narrated their horrific tales of atrocities by police to her. They told Priyanka that police were neither providing them post mortem reports to nor registering their FIR.
Congress leader Manoj Tyagi said that cops arrived at the home of one of the deceased’s (Aleem) brother two days ago and threatend him for waging a legal battle for justice for his deceased brother. Aleem was one of the five persons who died of bullet injuries during the protests in Meerut.
Congress leader Imran Masood criticized the administration for stopping party leaders and Priyanka Gandhi from visiting the victims’ families in Meerut.
Earlier Priyanka arrived in Muzaffarnagar in the morning and met Maulana Asad Hussaini, who runs Madarsa Hoz E Ilmia near Meenakshi Chowk, where violence erupted during the anti-CAA protests. After meeting with Hussaini and other victims, she said all of them accused the police of unleashing a reign of terror and thrashing them for no fault of theirs. She said the police entered the madarsa and beat up the maulana and his students.
“I met Maulana Asad Hussaini, who was brutally thrashed by the police. Students of the madarsa, including minors, were picked up by the police without any reason. Some of them have been released but some others are still in custody,” she said while speaking to reporters.
Priyanka also went to the house of Noor Mohammad who lost his life during the protests. She spoke with his seven-month pregnant widow and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
She also met Rukaiya Parveen, who was to get married on Saturday, and said the police vandalised her house and damaged things bought for her wedding.
She said she had given a memorandum to governor Anandiben Patel incorporating the high-handedness of the police during the protests.
“Priyanka reiterated she and her Congress party are committed to standing by the victims and their families and will go to each and every place where injustice has been done to people,” Harendra Tyagi, Muzaffarnagar’s district unit president, said.
She has been meeting the families of those injured, killed or arrested during the violent protests against the CAA, including in Lucknow and Bijnore.
More than 20 people were killed and hundreds injured in Uttar Pradesh as police and protesters clashed last month after the situation spiralled out of control in several areas in the state.
