A day after the Congress leaders were and their leader Rahul Gandhi was manhandled and pushed while on his way to Hathras to meet the family of the rape victim, today, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien has met the same fate as he was pushed to the ground in a confrontation with police.
He and three other party leaders tried to enter the village to meet the family of the 20-year-old Dalit girl who died at Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital two weeks after being gang raped by a group of four upper-class men.
The incident has been recorded in a video in which a man in a white shirt and a helmet, who is reported to be UP Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena, has shoved Derek O’Brien and grabbed MP Pratima Mandal by the shoulders to prevent her from walking to the village.
Earlier, TMC MPs Pratima Mandala and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and ex-MP Mamata Thakur urged the policemen with folded hands to let them enter the village. Derek O’Brien could be seen requesting the authorities to atleast let the women enter the village.
Taking it to Twitter, Derek O’Brien said, International day of non-violence A brave reporter shot video of @AITCofficial MP Pratima Mondal (SC) here at Hathras 1km from victim’s home.We r here on a peaceful mission to pay condolences to the grieving family. Lady MP was MANHANDLED by UP SDM.”
“A delegation of Trinamool MPs traveled about 200 km from Delhi, and has been stopped by UP Police from entering Hathras,” the party statement said.
“They were traveling separately to express solidarity with the grieving family and convey their condolences,” it added.
“We were stopped by the UP Police when they were just 1.5 km from the victim’s home,” the Trinamool Congress quoted one of the MPs as saying in a statement.
Yesterday, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were arrested by the police and taken to the police station while they were on their way to Hathras to meet the family of gang rape victim.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had alleged that he was pushed to the ground and lathi-charged, when he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were marching towards Hathras after their convoy was stopped at the highway between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the act of police said, “We were stopped from going to Hathras. When we along with Rahul ji took foot-march then we were stopped repeatedly and were lathicharged. But our will power is strong and the lathis of the high and mighty cannot stop us.”
“I wish these lathis were for the protection of Dalit daughter of Hathras,” she said.