Amid the national outrage over the gang-rape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has on Saturday said he would be visiting the village in the BJP ruling state to meet the grieving family of the victim, who died on Tuesday due to the injuries. She was gang-raped by four upper-caste men during the second week of September and the incident had triggered protests after it had spotlighted the appalling prevalence of sexual and caste-based violence against women. 

Rahul Gandhi's visit would be the second attempt to enter Hathras amid the protests. On Thursday, he tried to enter the village with the Congress delegation while Hathras was imposed with a curfew under section 144. When he attempted to enter the village amid the curfew, he was detained by the Uttar Pradesh police under section 188 IPC for violating the curfew. 

When he arrived in the state along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi and supporters, his convoy was stopped by the police following which he started walking on the highway and the visuals from the spot had shown the state police had unfolded the clampdown and there was a melee between the police and Congress supporters who alleged that the police had pushed and lathi-charged Rahul Gandhi. 

Following the detention, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi were taken to Buddh International Circuit in Noida and detained there. The police's crackdown against the Congress leaders had sparked fresh protests from the Congress party workers and supporters across the nation who condemned the Uttar Pradesh police and burned the effigies of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

Amid such developments, Rahul Gandhi has on Saturday said he would enter the Hathras. In what has become the second attempt, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, "No force in the world can stop me from visiting Hathras and condoling with the grief-stricken family over there". Congress party said that Rahul Gandhi will be leading a delegation to Hathras to meet the 19-year-old rape victim's family to hear their grievances. 

According to reports, Rahul Gandhi would be visiting the village on Saturday afternoon and the delegation includes senior Congress MPs and Priyanka Gandhi. The party further said that the delegation would demand justice for the victim and her family. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal took to Twitter and said, "Congress MPs under the leadership of former Congress President Shri. @RahulGandhi will go to #Hathras today afternoon to meet the grieving family of the 19-year-old daughter of Uttar Pradesh, who was brutally assaulted & murdered". 

@INCIndia delegation led by Shri. @RahulGandhi will meet the family members to hear their grievances & demand justice for the victim & her family who have been denied justice & severely traumatized by the BJP Government in UP.

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 3, 2020

The 19-year-old was brutally gang-raped by four upper-caste men and the accused had broken her back and slit her tongue. She was getting treated in Aligarh and then she was taken to Delhi for further treatments. However, her health had deteriorated and she died on Tuesday, which sparked the outrage. The protests intensified after the Uttar Pradesh police were accused of forcibly cremating the body of the victim despite her family requested the police to take her home for one last time. 

The police had arrested four people in connection to the case and they have been booked under the grounds of gang-rape and murder. However, the ADGP of Uttar Pradesh Police had on Thursday said that the girl was not raped and she was died due to a neck injury, which further ran into controversy. 

Also read: Hathras victim was not raped, this is the reason why she died: UP Police makes a new claim!