Condemning the Hathras gang-rape and demanding stringent punishment for the culprits, hundreds of activists belonging to the Karnataka Rajya Dalit Sangharsh Samiti took out a procession and staged a demonstration in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.
The activists, led by samiti State convenor D.G. Sagar, took out a protest rally on Jagat Road holding blue banners, waving flags and raising slogans against the culprits as well as the Uttar Pradesh government.
Later, they staged a demonstration outside the district administrative complex and submitted a memorandum, addressed to the President, to the office of the Deputy Commissioner.
“Uttar Pradesh has hitherto been known as a land of rowdies. With a series of rapes being reported, it is now becoming a land of rapists. Under the BJP government, lawlessness has become the order of the day. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself is protecting the rapists. We appeal to the President to intervene and ensure that the culprits in the recent rape cases get stringent punishment,” Mr. Sagar said, during the agitation.
Taking serious exceptions to the remarks of Mr. Adityanath over the incident, Mr. Sagar said that the Chief Minister’s words were encouraging to upper caste rapists. “Considering the fact that the culprits in the Hathras gang-rape belonged to the Thakur caste, Mr. Adityanath said that Thakur blood is hot and Thakurs tend to make mistakes. His words, indeed, justified the rape of a Dalit girl by upper caste men. His police are trying to protect the culprits. We appeal to the President to dissolve the Adityanath government for its failure to keep law and order,” he said.
In a memorandum, the agitating activists also demanded a compensation of ₹ 2 crore to the family members of rape victims. Their other demands included ensuring stringent punishment to the offenders and providing protection to the families of rape victims.
