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Rahul Gandhi after meeting Hathras rape victim's family: ‘Things they told shook me'
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the family of the Dalit girl is being treated like "criminals".
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met the family members of a 19-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped and later died during treatment in Delhi in September 2020.
The Congress MP, who reached Bool Garhi village around 11.15am, alleged that the family of the Dalit girl is being treated like "criminals".
Gandhi spent around 35 minutes with the family at their home and left without interacting with the reporters who had gathered in the village for his visit.
Later, in a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi attacked the BJP government claiming that they did not promises made to the family, which he claimed, is living “in fear”.
“Today, I visited Hathras and met the family of the victim of the shameful and unfortunate incident that occurred four years ago. During the meeting, the things they shared deeply shook me,” Gandhi wrote. “The entire family continues to live under a cloud of fear. They are being treated like criminals. They cannot move freely – they are constantly under surveillance by guns and cameras.”
The Congress leader also alleged that the promises made to them by the BJP government have not been fulfilled till date. "Neither have they been given a government job nor has the promise of shifting them to another place been fulfilled," he added.
Gandhi said instead of giving justice to the victim's family, the government is "torturing" them in various ways while the accused are roaming freely.
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"The frustration and despair of this family shows the truth of the atrocities being committed on Dalits by the BJP. But we will not let this family be forced to live like this. We will fight with all our might to get them justice," he said.
Hathras gangrape case
Four upper-caste men in Hathras allegedly raped the 19-year-old Dalit woman on September 14, 2020.
She died on September 29 at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital during treatment and was cremated near her home on September 30. Her family alleged that the police delayed registering the FIR and locked them in their house while hurriedly conducting her last rites. However, local police officers stated that the cremation was carried out “as per the wishes of the family.”
Facing criticism over its handling of the case, the Uttar Pradesh government recommended a CBI probe. The CBI began its inquiry on October 10 amid nationwide outrage.
On March 2, 2023, a Uttar Pradesh court set free three of the four men accused in the 2020 Hathras case. The three were released from the Aligarh district jail after serving about two years in imprisonment.
