Nation comes together demanding justice for Hathras Dalit gang rape victim

Demonstrations and protests held in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of India 

Jantar mantar

Thousands of people flooded Delhi’s streets on October 2 to show solidarity with the Hathras gang rape victim. Youth, women’s groups, activists and ordinary citizens came together to decry the heinous crime and the insensitive manner in which the Uttar Pradesh government handled the incident.

The past few weeks have been reminiscent of the pre-Covid-19 times when people protested the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of the BJP-led government in 2019.

This time, around 5,000 people gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi that was originally planned to be held at India Gate. Despite the last-minute change in venue, people arrived at the spot to denounce the atrocity suffered by the 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras.

A video by a member of the If We Do Not Rise interviewed various people at the protest to show the varying demands of the protesters. While some people demanded stringent punishment for the accused, other participants voiced the rising caste-based crimes in Uttar Pradesh.

 


 

Jantar mantar

Jantar mantar

 

Student federations, women’s organisations and political leaders such as Chandrashekhar Azad, Kanhaiya Kumar, Jignesh Mevani, Yogendra Yadav, D. Raja and others participated in the protest.

 

 

Simultaneously, such demonstrations took place in and around various parts of Mumbai. 15-20 organisations including marginalised people assembled at the Ambedkar Garden in Chembur to demand justice for the victim’s family.

The assembled crowd lit candles, gave speeches against the UP government and the Central government and sang songs on women empowerment. The speeches also voiced a concern about the increasing fascism, growing violence and saffronisation of the police and judicial system.

The protesters in a statement said they had gone out on the streets despite the threat of the pandemic to decry the rising crimes against women, Dalits and other marginalised sections of society.

The statement appealed to people to unite against the ‘upper-caste’, patriarchal oppressive classes in society. They added that the next protest is scheduled for 4 PM on October 6 at Chaitanyabhoomi, Dadar.

Dadar

Similarly, people in Mumbra, a suburban area of Mumbai that has been dubbed as a ‘Muslim ghetto’ by news reports, staged a protest to show their solidarity with the victim’s family.

Mumbra

 

Friday’s protests have been a part of a series of protests which started earlier this week around September 30 at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. On Thursday, hundreds of people assembled at Carter Road in Bandra as well to condemn the Hathras case in Uttar Pradesh.

 

 

Human rights activist and renowned journalist Teesta Setalvad attended the event and participated in the candle-march.

 

 

Many youths attended the October 1 event although some expressed disappointment that the organisers had failed to acknowledge the caste-aspect of the Hathras case. One of the young protesters wrote a Twitter-thread in this regard.

 

 

When another protester, Sarasvati NT, was asked about the ongoing protests in the country for the UP case she said, “This is the moment to come out and actually talk about caste crimes. People are finally answering questions such as ‘Why does caste matter in such cases?’ Yet, whenever the caste-aspect comes in, people are very reluctant to voice their support.”

She argued that people must continue talking about caste-issues and express their support for Dalit activists who are also arrested under UAPA.

Student organisations and youths also attended a similar event at IIT Powai.

 

 

 

Related:

Caste attacks on Dalits continue: Panchayat to support rape and murder accused!

Rape survivor dies by suicide, family allege police inaction

Mumbai stands with Hathras victim’s family; demands that UP CM resign

UP Police now claim that Hathras Dalit victim was not raped!

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