Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to meet a Dalit woman on Thursday who was allegedly raped in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, in front of her husband last month by six men who also beat up her husband, party sources said.
The Gandhi scion, along with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, were slated to meet the Alwar gang rape case victims and her family members in Thanagazi today.
However, due to bad weather, the Congress president, who was supposed to fly from Delhi for Alwar, did not so due to inclement weather conditions.
On April 26, the woman was riding with her husband on a motorcycle when six miscreants accosted the woman and her husband on the Thanagazi-Alwar bypass and took them to an isolated place, where they allegedly raped her in front of him. The family has accused the police of delaying action because of the national election, which has led to allegations that the Congress was trying to cover up the case to avoid a backlash in polls.
An FIR was lodged on May 2 where as the gang-rape survivor’s husband said the police were informed on April 30. Rajasthan voted in the Lok Sabha polls in two phases on April 29 and May 6.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh, had questioned BSP Supremo Mayawati as to why she had not withdrawn support given to Ashok Gehlot government over Alwar gang rape case.
BSP chief Mayawati too had leveled the same charge at the Ashok Gehlot government.
Gandhi’s move is believed to be aimed at sending a message to the Dalit community across the country, especially in Punjab where Dalits constitute around 31 percent of the population.