Mamata to lead protest march today
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest march against the Hathras gang-rape and murder case in Kolkata on Saturday, sources said. The rally will start at 4 pm and participants will walk from the Birla Planetarium to the Mahatma Gandhi's Statue on Mayo Road.
Banerjee had tweeted criticising the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh and while addressing the gathering after inaugurating 'Pathasree Abhiyan' on Friday she expressed her anguish.
The state BJP unit has slammed her on several occasions for deteriorating law and order situation in Bengal but none of them has uttered a word condemning the recent incident.
Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, who was on his way to Hathras to meet the victim's family, was pushed to the ground in a confrontation with police when he and three other party leaders tried to enter the village.
In a 32-second video, a man in a white shirt and a helmet can be seen grabbing TMC MP Pratima Mandal by the shoulders to prevent her from walking to the village. Derek rushed to rescue her and the man then pushed him to the ground.
Minutes before that, TMC MPs Pratima Mandala and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and ex-MP Mamata Thakur could be seen urging policemen with folded hands to let them enter the village. Derek could be heard telling the cops: "Let the women go at least." However, their path was blocked by the policemen.
While officials have denied the manhandling of MPs, the TMC leaders held a sit-in about 1 km from the victim's home. "The allegations are totally false. Women constables requested them (TMC leaders) to go back as no one is allowed to enter the village," Hathras Sub-Divisional Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena was quoted saying by a national news agency.
The TMC on Friday lashed out at the Uttar Pradesh government for unleashing "jungle raj", after its delegation was stopped.
A statement issued by the party said the delegation, led by the party's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, wanted to meet the family members of the 19-year-old Dalit woman, and express their solidarity to her grieving parents.
Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Pratima Mondal and Mamata Thakur, all Parliamentarians, were the three other members of the delegation.
Condemning the incident, TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee claimed that the Yogi Adityanath government has let loose a reign of terror and "crossed all limits of decency".
"Is it a democracy? MPs are being heckled and pushed to the ground. How come police officers have this audacity to heckle Members of Parliament? The state government, which has failed to protect to a Dalit girl and is busy hushing up the matter, is now using brute force against the opposition," he said.
"Those who tried to project themselves as champions of 'Beti Bachao' (campaign) are now trying to intimidate the family members of the girl. A 'jungle raj' prevails in Uttar Pradesh. It's a shame," he said.
Senior TMC leader Saugata Roy said the UP government was trying to "hide the truth".
Meanwhile, later on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and their supporters came to Delhi's Jantar Mantar in protest against the government for what they say is not doing enough to stop crimes against women. Hundreds of people including leaders from Opposition parties also gathered there to demand justice.
