Delhi Cantt girl rape case: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the family of the nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped, murdered and cremated by a priest and three of his accomplices in Delhi's Cantonment area on Sunday. Delhi Police said the four men were arrested after the child’s family registered a complaint and staged a protest outside the crematorium along with fellow villagers.
Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic details.
Gandhi said he spoke with the family of the minor girl and all they want is justice and nothing else. "They're saying they should be helped. We will do that," he was quoted by news agency ANI. He further promised the family that he is standing with them until they get justice. More here.
Shortly after meeting the family, Gandhi tweeted in Hindi and noted that the deceased's parents were in tears when they told him that their daughter deserves justice.
He had also called the nine-year-old deceased "the nation's daughter" on Tuesday on दलित की बेटी भी देश की बेटी है। pic.twitter.com/CdbWkCwePP
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 3, 2021 The incident has sparked a nation-wide outrage, both online and offline, triggering protests by civil society groups and activists. The Old Nangal crematorium priest and three male employees near Delhi Cantonment in south-west Delhi have been booked for allegedly raping and killing a nine-year-old Dalit girl. They also stand accused of cremating her body allegedly without her parents’ consent. Police said the four men were arrested after the child’s family reported the matter on Sunday night. They also informed that the family expressed suspicions that the girl may have been sexually assaulted and murdered since her body was cremated in a hurry and her mother had allegedly spotted multiple injury marks on her body.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also demanded justice for the minor Dalit girl, also comparing the incident to Hathras case, in which a 19-Dalit girl was allegedly forcefully cremated by the local authorities, after she passed away while being treated for an alleged gangrape at hands of four upper caste men. The woman's family accused local authorities of forcing them to cremate her, even when they insisted on performing the required rituals next morning. Read more here.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and wrote to DCP South West asking him to furnish a detailed report within 48 hours.
The protestors were seen in the streets holding banners that say "give justice to the little girl" and demanding a death penalty for the four men accused of the crime. The crime has yet again made people question arrangements for safety of women and girls in the national capital.
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