Hathras gang rape | Let media, party leaders in, Uma Bharti urges Yogi Adityanath

‘Curbs on meeting gangrape victim’s family will hurt BJP’s image’

Uma Bharati. File.

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharati, currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at the AIIMS in Rishikesh, on Friday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to allow media persons and leaders of political parties to meet the family of the deceased Hathras rape victim .

Ms. Bharati, in a series of tweets said while she had been hesitant to speak out earlier on the issue, watching the media coverage of the event had convinced her that she needed to speak out.

“Your image is very clean and you have set up a Special Investigation Team to speedily investigate the matter. But, setting up an SIT while ring-fencing the family members of victim from meeting anyone could affect the integrity of the investigation which seeks to bring light on the crime,” Ms. Bharti said.

“She (the victim) is a daughter of a Dalit family, and after her death

her cremation was done hastily and now her family is being ring-fenced by officials. We have recently performed the bhoomi poojan (ground breaking ceremony) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and are working to establish Ram Rajya. The actions in Hathras will hurt the image of the party and the U.P. government,” she said.

The senior BJP leader called herself Yogi Adityanath’s “elder sister” while making this intervention. Opposition leaders like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra were prevented from reaching Hathras on Thursday and a team from the Trinamool Congress too was prevented on Friday as the State government sealed the borders from Delhi and prevented media persons from reaching the family.