A joint delegation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India visited Boolgarhi village in Hathras on Tuesday and met the family of the Dalit gangrape and murder victim.
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General secretary of the CPI (M) Sitaram Yechury said the family was apprised about the brutal gangrape of the woman and her hurried cremation in the middle of the night. “These sorts of things are unheard of in the 21st Century and belies the constitutional guarantees granted to us,” he said.
Demanding an independent judicial inquiry, Mr Yechury added that all the new police allegations about caste conflict and the conspiracy angle could also be examined. “There are laws to deal with them. However, none of this should become an excuse to delay or deny justice,” he said.
CPI (M) leader Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat told reporters the family was “feeling insecure in this atmosphere” and they were not happy with the CBI. “We demand a court-monitored probe. Arrangements should be made for the security of the family,” she said.
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“And the most shocking thing,” Ms Karat said, “is till today the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has not said that it was a shameful crime and that government is standing with the girl.”
The delegation included General Secretary CPI D. Raja, National Secretary CPI Amarjeet Kaur, and U.P. State Committee Secretary CPI (M) Hiralal Yadav.
Mr. Raja said it was an emotional trip. “We came here to express our solidarity with the family and to share their grief. This family and any other Dalit family in the country does not want empathy or sympathy from anyone, they want justice. All they want is to be treated as a human being,” Mr. Raja said.
