Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed the BJP government over the plight of a 14-month-old girl whose parents were arrested for participating in an anti-CAA protest defying prohibitory orders, saying it is the moral duty of the government to allow the child’s mother to go home.
On December 19, Champak’s parents, activists Ekta (32) and Ravi Shankar (36), who run an NGO, Climate Agenda were arrested in connection with the protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). People gathered in Beniya Bagh area of Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, to protest against CAA, defying section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) imposed by police.
“To suppress civil demonstrations, the BJP government has shown such inhumanity and separated a small child from her parents,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.
The toddler’s health has deteriorated, but there has been no change in the BJP government’s intentions, the Congress general secretary said.
“It is the moral duty of this government to allow the innocent mother of this child to go home,” she said.
इस सरकार का नैतिक कर्तव्य है कि वह इस बच्चे की बेगुनाह माँ को घर जाने दे।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) 1 January 2020
Earlier, the Congress leader on Monday said the state government and police have taken several steps that are illegal and have led to anarchy.
Priyanka had also written a letter to the Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel demanding a full judicial inquiry into the unlawful conduct of UP Police during the anti-CAA and NRC protests.
She alleged the UP Police of arresting and naming innocent people, who had nothing to do with the protests.
Earlier, the party sources had told that those facing prosecution in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests will be provided legal help by the Congress party.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had held a meeting in this regard with the lawyers associated with the party.
In the press conference, senior Congress leader, Salman Khurshid said that the party will go to the High Court and appeal against the police action on the protesters in the state.
As per the reports, Priyanka told the lawyers that the party will provide legal help to those who have been arrested in the peaceful protests. She also said that the party stands with the victims.
She has been active in Uttar Pradesh in support of the opposition to the CAA. She has also been meeting with the families of those arrested in the protests.
It all started at Lohia Path in the UP capital when the Congress leader was stopped by the police. But she sped away on a scooter, driven by party Secretary Dheeraj Gurjar. Later they were again stopped at the Polytechnic Square, form there she walked to ex-IPS officer SR Darapuri’s residence.
Priyanka had alleged that she was manhandled by the police and “grabbed by
In a recent incident in Lucknow on December 28, Priyanka Gandhi was stopped by the UP police from visiting the house of retired IPS officer SR Darapuri who was arrested for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).