Rahul meets Alwar gang-rape victim; assures justice

Jaipur: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday met a Dalit woman who was allegedly gang-raped in front of her husband in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, party sources said.
Gandhi was accompanied by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Congress national general secretary Avinash Pandey, they said.
“Such things will not be tolerated. The victim will get justice. The moment I got to know about the incident, I called Gehlot ji and told him that I want to come. This is not a political issue for me but an emotional issue,” Gandhi told reporters here.
He said, a message should go across the country, not just in Rajasthan that “this will not be tolerated.”
Responding to a question about his conversation with the victim’s family, Gandhi said, “They spoke about justice. They will get justice and action will be taken against the people involved in the crime.”
He was earlier scheduled to arrive here Wednesday.
On April 26, 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.
An FIR was lodged on May 2 and the accused circulated a video clip of the crime on May 4.
Subsequently, five accused, who allegedly raped the woman, and the one who shot and circulated the video clip, have been arrested.
The incident triggered widespread protests in Alwar, Jaipur, Dausa and nearby areas and a protest march led by BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena had turned violent in Dausa on Tuesday, leaving over half-a-dozen people injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BSP supremo Mayawati and other leaders have also condemned the incident. (PTI)