Greater Noida: High drama prevailed on Thursday after Uttar Pradesh Police personnel pushed former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the ground near the Yamuna Expressway and detained him along with his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while they were walking towards Hathras to meet the family of the rape victim, party leaders claimed.
Gandhi, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior leaders had left Delhi on Thursday to meet the family of the Hathras rape victim.
However, they began marching towards Hathras after their vehicle was stopped near the Yamuna Expressway.
Later Rahul Gandhi told the media, “Just now police pushed me, lathi-charged me and threw me on the ground. I want to ask, can only (Narendra) Modiji walk in this country? Can’t a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped, so we started walking.”
Ranvijay Singh, Additional DCP, Gautam Budh Nagar, said Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have been detained.
Singh further said that Rahul and Priyanka won’t be allowed to proceed further as the police have a letter from DM Hathras saying that if they visit the village, it may disturb the law and order situation in the district.
Uttar Pradesh Police Personnel also told Gandhi that his sister and he have been taken into custody as they were marching in an area where section 144 has been imposed.
The section relates to assembly of not more than five people at one place.
Rahul Gandhi said that even if Section 144 had been imposed, he will walk alone towards Hathras to meet the family of the rape victim.
The Congress leaders claimed that the police had arrested Rahul and Priyanka and taken them to the Budh International Circuit guest house.
Before being detained, the Congress leaders had a heated exchange with police personnel and enquired about the grounds on which they were being arrested.
Rahul Gandhi, along with Priyanka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Rajiv Shukla and several other top leaders was walking towards Hathras to meet the family of the victims a day after the last rites of the rape victim were allegedly performed during the night in the absence of her family members.
Yogi calls up Hathras victim’s father, announces SIT probe
Lucknow: Amid an uproar over the cremation of the body of a Dalit gang-rape victim early on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke to the 19-year-old woman’s father in Hathras district and offered his condolences.
He also announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the bereaved family, apart from a job to one of its members. The family would also be given a house.
The victim’s father sought the harshest punishment for the four accused arrested for the crime reported on September 14. The young woman had died in a Delhi hospital on Tuesday and her body was allegedly cremated forcibly by Hathras police on the night of September 29-30.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avanish Awasthi said that the Chief Minister assured the woman’s father of the most stringent action against the culprits and all possible help to the family.
Earlier in the day, the CM set up a Special Investigation Team led by Home Secretary Bhagwan Swaroop to probe and submit a report on the crime in seven days.
