By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Oct 2:
The alleged rough up of Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi by Uttar Pradesh Police, during their visit to Hathras, to console the family of a 19-year-old woman gang rape victim, snowballed into controversy when protest demonstrations continues in different parts of Maharashtra on Thursday.
The Congress leaders led by Maharashtra Congress Chief Balasaheb Thorat staged agitation at Mahatma Gandhi statue near Mantralaya in South Mumbai. Several leaders, including ministers participated in the agitation and raised slogans condemning the BJP led UP Government. They included former CM Prithviraj Chavan, Mumbai Congress Chief Eknath Gaikwad, Ministers-Amit Deshmukh, Aslam Shaikh, former Ministers Nasim Khan, Anis Ahmed, Baba Siddiqui, MLA Zishan Siddiqui, MPCC office bearers Mohan Joshi, Sachin Sawant and Rajaram Deshmukh
The agitations were also held in Sangli by the Congress workers who staged a rasta roko using burning tyres as road blocks. The police rounded up some of them on charges of disturbing peace.
In Nagpur several parties including Bahujan Republican Ekta Manch, People’s Republican Party, Yuva Sena and NCP Students’ Wing staged demonstrations. At some places candle marchs were also organised. Bahujan Republican Ekta Manch Chief and former Minister Sulekha Kumbhare forwarded a memorandum to President Ramnath Kovind demanding death penalty to those responsible for the death of the victim Manisha Walmiki. People’s Republican Party Chief Jogendra Kawade demanded dissolution of the UP Government.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, MNS Chief Raj Thackeray expressed anguish over the incident. While the CM said that such incidents would never be tolerated in Maharaashtra, Raj criticised electronic mediums for their failure in highlighting the incident.
In New Delhi, the Congress slammed UP Police for manhandling Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra who were on their way to Hathras to meet the victim’s family members. “Shri Rahul Gandhi, Smt Priyanka Gandhi and senior Congress leaders have been arrested by the UP police,” the Congress said on Twitter, using the hashtag “JusticeForIndiasDaughters”.
Rahul Gandhi fell down in the melee after police tried to stop him and his supporters from proceeding on the Yamuna Expressway. The Gandhis were then taken away in a police jeep. Rahul earlier questioned senior UP police under which law was he being stopped by them as he wanted to walk alone towards Hathras. “I want to go alone to Hathras and on what basis can you arrest me,” he asked, to which the police told him that he had violated Section 188 of the IPC of disobeying the orders promulgated by the government during the pandemic.
Congress leader Randeep Sujrewala put out a video along with a tweet showing Rahul Gandhi allegedly being roughed on the Yamuna Expressway. Congress leader P Chidambaram also alleged that none of the country’s laws seemed to apply to the UP police.
On the other hand, a senior Uttar Pradesh police officer claimed the forensic report has revealed that the victim who succumbed to her injuries at a Delhi hospital was not raped. ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the cause of her death was an injury on the neck and trauma resulting due to it. The report of the FSL clearly stated that samples did not have sperm and thus it makes clear that there was no rape or gang rape, he added. The woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.
