The BJP is trying to give a communal colour to the rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, the Congress alleged on Friday as it sought “fast-track justice for the families of the victims”.
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The principal Opposition party also demanded that the Narendra Modi government implement the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Act with “full force”.
Addressing a press conference, Rajesh Lilothia, who heads Congress’ Scheduled Caste department, said the alleged rape and murder of the two sisters should not be seen as an isolated incident and alleged that atrocities against Dalits have been rising.
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The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data revealed that 70,818 cases of atrocities against Dalits are pending investigation till 2021, he said.
“In Uttar Pradesh, it is worrying to note that there have been 61,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits and women in the past four years. The BJP and its people are trying to give the Lakhimpur Kheri incident a communal colour to dilute it,” Mr. Lilothia alleged.
“This is a very serious matter and I would like to appeal to not do politics over this sad and unfortunate incident,” he added.
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The Congress leader alleged that the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are resorting to divisive politics.
“The Congress demands justice from the U.P. government for the family of the victims. It also demands that the Modi government implement the SC/ST Act with full force,” Mr. Lilothia said.
“On one hand, big claims are made that the Modi government is working for the welfare of Dalits, on the other hand there are these statistics,” he added.
The Congress leader also accused the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of not providing justice in the 2020 Hathras rape case.