Hathras gang rape: Cong stages protest against Yogi Adityanath govt near UP Bhawan in Delhi

 Congress leaders and workers, including those of the party's youth wing, staged a protest against the Yogi Adityanath government near the Uttar Pradesh Bhawan in the national capital on Wednesday, demanding justice for the Hathras gang rape victim.The protesters were stopped by the police who erected a barricade near the UP Bhawan.

Some of the Indian Youth Congress protesters were detained by the police and taken to Mandir Marg and Connaught Place police stations, said IYC media in-charge Rahul Rao.The 19-year-old Dalit woman, who died in Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday, a fortnight after she was gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Local police officers, however, said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family", even as the incident triggered protests in Hathras with several people coming out on the roads.The protest near the UP Bhawan was also attended by Mahila Congress national president Sushmita Dev, Delhi Mahila Congress president Amrita Dhawan and Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar.

IYC president Srinivas BV said, "There is jungle raj in UP under the Yogi Adityanath government. The funeral of the victim without the permission of her family exposed its inhuman face."

The Legal and Human Rights unit of the Delhi Congress filed a petition before the National Human Rights Commission, seeking justice to the family of the deceased Dalit woman.The Delhi Police said that around 2.30 pm, members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and different units of the Congress party tried to reach UP Bhawan on SP Marg to stage a protest demanding harsh punishment for accused persons in the Hathras gang rape case.

Fifty people, including 15 women, were detained and removed from the spot, a senior police officer said.Those detained were taken to Mandir Marg police station and later released, the officer said.

As the protestors violated orders under section 144 of CrPC in force and other laws regarding COVID-19, an FIR under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections of the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act has been registered against them, the officer added. 

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