The Hathras case has been at the epicentre of a political slugfest. Far from empathising with the grieving family, Congress and other political parties are using the case to further their narrative and gain a stronghold in Uttar Pradesh on anti-upper caste sentiment.
After their initial stunt on Thursday, the Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are making an attempt, yet again, on Saturday to reach Hathras. This is despite the fact that the duo along with 200 other Congress workers was earlier stopped on Greater Noida expressway near Pari Chowk. Following a brief confrontation with the police, they were detained by the police and later released on a personal bond. Section 144 of IPC has been imposed in the area.
The Congress party has now demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Meanwhile, the District Magistrate (DM) has made it clear that none will be allowed entry in the village until the Special Investigative Team (SIT) probe is concluded in the Hathras case. The grand-old party has threatened to go an indefinite strike if Congress leaders are not allowed to meet the victim.
#NewsAlert | @RahulGandhi, @PriyankaGandhi are expected to make another attempt to visit the #Hathras rape victim’s family today.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) October 3, 2020
Prashant Kumar with details. pic.twitter.com/a9BqWJyQPR
Akhilesh Yadav to reach Hathras from London
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has decided to reach Hathras on October 4, after returning to Delhi from London in the United Kingdom. He had also asked the UP government to file First Information Reports (FIRs) against the District Magistrate and Assistant Sub-Inspector.
Earlier, Yogi Adityanath had directed suspension of the SP, the DSP, the Inspector and some other officials, based on the preliminary investigation report. A press release issued by the UP govt said that Hathras SP and IPS officer Vikrant Veer has been suspended for carelessness and lax in supervision while working on the case.
Rahul Gandhi and his shenanigans
On their way to Hathras on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi tried to run away from the cops. Flanked by his security who took the lathi blows on behalf of Rahul Gandhi, he found himself a clean spot to ‘fall’. Like a domino’s effect, another Congress worker also ‘fell’ on Rahul Gandhi, to save the former Congress President and son of current interim Congress President from any injuries.
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Rahul Gandhi innocently asked on what basis was he being stopped when the UP Police said that they were arresting him. A ‘helpful’ Congress worker prompted him to ask under what section was he being arrested instead of questioning the authority of the cops. “Bhaiya camera layiye,” he asked the camera person to record his big statement. Gandhi then questioned the cops as to why he was not allowed to travel alone, even though the Congress scion was accompanied by 200-odd party workers.
Leaked audio tapes reveal an underlying political conspiracy
Yesterday, the telephonic conversations between one India Today journalist and the brother of the deceased, Sandeep, was accessed by OpIndia. In the audio clip, Tanushree Pandey could be heard convincing Sandeep to send her a video statement of his father alleging that he was under immense pressure from the administration. Throughout the conversation, Tanushree Pandey appears insistent on coaxing out a very specific statement from Sandeep while the latter remains non-committal on his statement and appears hesitant to toe the line that the journalist wants him to toe.
In another conversation, an unidentified individual is heard telling Sandeep, the brother of the victim, to not leave his house because senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi would be visiting his home. In the conversation, the person could be heard telling Sandeep, “If anyone wishes to take you anywhere, you must not go, now Priyanka Gandhi will come to your house. Someone says you should go to Hathras, somewhere here, somewhere there, you must not go.”
