Gross injustice being done to Hathras victim's family: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said that gross injustice was done to the alleged Hathras gangrape victim and is being done to her family.

"I want to say that every woman and man in this country needs to raise their voice against the injustice done to the girl (Hathras victim) and whatever has been happening to her family in the last three-four days," the Congress leader said while addressing a prayer meet for the victim of Hathras incident at Maharishi Valmiki Temple in the national capital.

"The government did not help. Her family is feeling alienated. I came here when I heard the Valmiki community had orgsed a prayer meeting for her. I came here to show solidarity with her family. I want to urge all to please raise their voice and put pressure on the government. Justice should be done to our sister," she added.

The Congress general secretary alleged that the victim's brother and her father could not light the pyre.

"It is not our tradition. It is big injustice. Justice should be done to them. No funeral is performed after sunset. We cannot remain silent. We came here to show solidarity," she said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offered prayers at Maharishi Valmiki Temple at Mandir Marg in the national capital on Friday.

The Congress has asked its party leaders to orgse prayer meetings in Valmiki temples across the country in the wake of Hathras incident, in which the 19-year-old died at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital on September 29, a fortnight after allegedly being gang-raped. She belonged to the Valmiki community.

The Congress has continuously hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government on the issue of handling of the case and has been demanding justice for the victim.

On Thursday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi tried to visit Hathras to meet the victim's family. However, they were stopped midway and a case was registered against them.

In Delhi, the State unit has orgsed this meet at the Mandir Marg Valmiki Basti, one of the oldest settlements of the community in the national capital.

The 19-year-old Hathras victim died at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital on September 29, a fortnight after allegedly being gang-raped. All the four accused in the incident have been arrested.

The government has formed a three-member SIT to probe the case and said the matter will be heard in the fast track court.

The post-mortem report states that the victim suffered a fracture of "C6 cervical vertebra" and there was "extravasations of blood along the fracture line" and the underlying spinal cord was "contused with ascending oedema". Also, the postmortem report denies rape charges.

( With inputs from ANI )