Hathras rape case: Chandrashekhar Azad threatens to begin dharna
Azad Samaj Party National President Chandrashekhar Azad has threatened to begin an indefinite protest if the Uttar Pradesh government fails to fulfill its promises to the family of a 19-year-old woman from Hathras who was gang-raped and assaulted last year leading to her death. He had visited the family of the woman in Hathras earlier this week.
Adityanath's promises have become cruel joke for family: Azad
Slamming Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Azad said, "Chief Minister's promises made a year back of providing financial support to the family, including job and housing, have become a cruel joke for the family." Notably, Azad met Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal who, he said, "assured that the promised assistance to the family would be given within one week."
Victim was brutally assaulted by four men last year
"We will begin an indefinite dharna at the Aligarh divisional commissioner's office after 10 days if these assurances are not fulfilled and justice is not given to the family," he told reporters on Friday. The woman died at a hospital in Delhi in September last year, days after being brutally assaulted and raped by four men.
What was the Hathras rape incident?
The 19-year-old Dalit woman was attacked at her village in Hathras while she was cutting grass with her family. The upper caste assailants had allegedly dragged her by her dupatta into the fields and brutally gang-raped her. The victim sustained grave injuries leaving her with multiple fractures, paralysis, and a deep gash in her tongue. She passed away after two weeks.
All accused were arrested, booked under relevant sections
The accused — Sandeep, Ramu, Lavkush, and Ravi — were arrested and booked for rape and murder. Relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were also evoked against them. They were nabbed after the victim named them in her statement on September 23, when she had briefly gained consciousness. Her family claimed Sandeep is an alcoholic and always harasses Dalits.
'Jungle raj' prevails in Uttar Pradesh: Azad
Notably, Adityanath had constituted an SIT and tasked it with probing the Hathras gang rape case amid countrywide outrage over the incident. Meanwhile, hitting out at Adityanath, Azad said on Thursday, "As far as security of women is concerned, jungle raj prevails in Uttar Pradesh."
Such incidents are a cause of serious concern: Azad
Azad also visited the family of an eight-year-old Dalit girl on Thursday whose body was recovered from Kishangarh village in Aligarh on Monday. He said, "The incident is a shocking pointer to the breakdown of law and order in the state." He also claimed that similar incidents took place recently in various parts of Aligarh and Bijnor which was a cause of "serious concern."
