Rahul Gandhi meets family of 2020 Hathras rape-murder victim, invites BJP criticism

HATHRAS:  Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met the family of a Dalit women here who died allegedly after being gangraped in September 2020.

The Congress MP reached Bool Garhi village around 11.15 am, even as police stepped up deployment in and around the hamlet in the Chandpa area the district in light of his visit.

Gandhi spent around 35 minutes with the family at their home and intercated with them. He left without speaking to a waiting group of reporters who had gathered in the village for his visit.

After Gandhi's visit, Congress' former Hathras chief Chandragupta Vikramaditya told reporters, "Rahul Gandhi has a relation with this family. He has always stood with them and will continue to do so. Today he came to listen to their problems. He is continuously fighting for their problems."

Last month, the Congress MP and LoP had tried to go to violence-hit Sambhal district to meet the victim families but was stopped by the state government with local authorities citing prohibition on the entry of of outsiders, including public representatives, till December 10 in view of the law and order situation in the area.

Before Gandhi met the family, Chandragupt Vikramaditya told PTI, "Rahul ji and Priyanka ji are the leaders who are in touch with aggrieved people across the country. Rahul ji has been in touch with this family also."

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, however, criticised Gandhi for the visit, saying he is "confused" and "not aware of the status of the case".

"The CBI has already conducted an inquiry into this case. Under the BJP rule, no culprit is allowed to get away scot free," Pathak said. "Whether Sambhal or Hathras, he (Gandhi) keeps visiting them just to be in limelight and not for any other reason."

UP Minister for Minorities Welfare Om Prakash Rajbhar also slammed Rahul Gandhi. "If he was not aware of facts of the case, he should know that a CBI probe had long been done."

"If he knows of any higher investigating authority, he should let us know. Such visits are mere gimmicks showing the Congress desperation," Rajbhar said.

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi had met the family on October 3, 2020 and declared they will fight for ensuring justice to the deceased.

The 19-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped on September 14, 2020. She was moved to Aligarh for treatment and later to Delhi, where she died on September 29, 2020.

She was cremated in the early hours of October 30, with her family alleging the local police had forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night. Local police officers, however, had told PTI that the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

After an initial police probe in the matter, the CBI had taken over the investigation into the case and filed a charge sheet against all four accused.