Hathras case: FIR registered against Chandrashekhar Azad for violating Section 144

Azad had gone to meet the family of the 19-year-old Dalit woman who was gang-raped in Bul Gargi village on September 14 by four men who belonged to an upper caste.

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and 400 to 500 others have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Epidemic Diseases Act for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Code of Procedure during his visit to Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on Sunday, news agency ANI reported on Monday.

After meeting the victim’s family, Azad demanded they be provided with ‘Y’ security cover adding that an inquiry should be done under the inspection of a retired judge of the Supreme Court. (ANI file photo)

Azad had gone to meet the family of the 19-year-old Dalit woman who was gang-raped in Bul Gargi village on September 14 by four men who belonged to an upper caste. She was initially admitted to a hospital in Aligarh and was moved to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi after her condition worsened. She died on September 29.

After meeting her family, Azad demanded they be provided with ‘Y’ security cover adding that an inquiry should be done under the inspection of a retired judge of the Supreme Court. He said that he would take the victim’s family to his house if the requisite security cover is not provided.

Azad’s visit to Hathras comes at a time when several leaders of opposition parties, including Congress Party’s Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, met the victim’s family. Priyanka Gandhi had posted five demands on behalf of the family including an investigation into the role of the Hathras’ district magistrate.

Last Friday, the Bhim Army chief led a protest march in New Delhi and he was joined by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja were also a part of the protest march.