No lathicharge on Rahul Gandhi, Cong leaders at Yamuna Expressway: Noida ADCP

Oct 01, 2020

Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 1 : After Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that party members were lathi-charged and Rahul Gandhi alleged manhandling and roughed up by police personnel when they were heading to meet the family of Hathras gangrape victim, the Noida Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Ranvijay Singh on Thursday said that there was "no lathicharge" on anyone.
Earlier in the day, Congress leaders were detained on their way towards Hathras, Uttar Pradesh to meet the gang-rape victim's family. While Rahul and Priyanka were arrested, party leaders Randeep Surjewala and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary among others were detained for violating the Epidemic Act, imposed to combat COVID-19.
"We have stopped them here. The Epidemic Act was being violated by them. They were violating section 144 and we have also received a letter from the District Magistrate of Hathras. They were causing a lot of inconvenience on the expressway. On these ground, we did not allow them to proceed forward and requested them to go back. They were taken to Buddh International Circuit in Gautam Buddh Nagar," Singh told ANI.
Earlier in the day, Rahul alleged that he was shoved and pushed to the ground by Uttar Pradesh Police, while on his way to Hathras.
Responding to this, Singh said: "There was no lathicharge on anyone. Many police personnel fell down on the ground during the scuffle, I, myself, fell on the ground. People were continuously pushing, many people fell down. I do not know whether Rahul Gandhi fell down or not, I have no knowledge of that."
According to police, the Wayanad MP was arrested under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
Rahul, who was roughed up by the Uttar Pradesh Police at the Yamuna Expressway, alleged: "Just now police pushed me, lathi-charged me and threw me to the ground. I want to ask, can only Modi Ji walk in this country? Can't a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped, so we started walking."
Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, "Prevented us from going to Hathras. When we all went out on foot with Rahul ji, we were stopped repeatedly, used lathi in barbaric manner. Many workers are injured. But our intention is sure. The sticks of an egotistical government cannot stop us. I wish this lathi, this police would have stood in defense of Hathras's Dalit daughter."
The 19-year-old had succumbed to assault injuries in Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday where she was brought on Monday from Aligarh Muslim University Medical College.
The senior police official said that the postmortem, which was conducted by a team of doctors in Delhi, has established that the death was caused by the trauma of her neck injury.