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Will not rest until Hathras family gets justice: Priyanka Gandhi
: A day after former she and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police on their way to Hathras to meet the family of Dalit
: A day after former she and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police on their way to Hathras to meet the family of Dalit woman who was gang raped and murdered, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attended a prayer meeting for the victim at a Valmiki temple in the Capital.
The UP Police has been accused by the victim’s family of forcibly cremating her in the middle of the night earlier this week, and access to the town and the family have been cut off for the media and opposition leaders. District officials have contended that they have consent from the woman’s family, but the manner in which the developments took place have raised questions over the conduct of the administration and law enforcement.
Priyanka Gandhi joined hundreds of people, including Congress leaders PL Punia, Sushmita Dev, Anil Choudhary and BV Srinivas, in solidarity with the 19-year-old woman. Priyanka Gandhi told reporters that she was at the event to express her condolences and offer prayers for the deceased.
“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,” she added.
All India Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev said it is the women of this country who will take down the National Democratic Alliance government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“As the Mahila Congress, we have to take the lead and protest against this injustice,” Dev said.
Delhi Congress chief Choudhary said that the party will work relentlessly to ensure the family gets justice. “Every day, there are at least 10 incidents of rape in UP. Why are Rahul ji and Priyanka ji not being allowed to meet the family? They are silencing democracy and we will not stand for it.”
Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas said that the PM and the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) must resign. “They have not said a word all this time, they must take responsibility and be held accountable.”
“It is unfortunate that a humanitarian issue is being politicised. The government is already taking action that is needed,” said Sanjay Mayukh, national spokesperson of the BJP.
On Thursday, Priyanka Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi were briefly arrested as they tried to visit Hathras on the grounds that there was a ban on public assembly in the town. The UP Police took them to a guest house at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida before escorting them back to Delhi.
