Members of various organizations during a protest against the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly gang-raped in Hathras, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi,
Jamaat’s vice president Mohammed Salim demanded answers from the Uttar Pradesh government over denying the family members their right to cremate their daughter
Waquar Hasan | NEW DELHI
Amid ongoing protests against the rape-murder of a Dalit girl in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, Muslim groups have come forward to demand justice for the victim.
Calling the Hathras incident a “black stain for a civilised society”, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s general secretary Moulana Mahmoud Madani demanded to establish a fast- track court to give justice to the victim and punish the culprits.
“The priority for Uttar Pradesh government is different. It is not taking any interest in maintaining law and order in the state. Therefore, anti-social elements are roaming freely and see themselves far from the grip of the law,” he said in a press statement released on Thursday.
Madani expressed his grief over the cremation of the victim without taking permission from his family, terming it “grave violation of human rights”.
Questioning the law and order situation in the state, he said that there were separate laws for protecting the rights of marginalised sections–Dalits, women and Muslims. But these can be effective only when the government will implement them honestly. He demanded strict action against those police officers who tried to cover up the rape and murder of Dalit girls.
Jamaat-e-Islam Hind’s Women Wing leader Rahmathunissa expressed her solidarity with the ongoing campaign for justice for the victim.
“We are with those who are fighting for justice for the ‘Hathras daughter’. Life and honour of all human beings are equal and precious. She was cremated past midnight. But the flames from her pyre have ignited the conscience of the nation,” said Rahmathunissa.
Jamaat’s vice president Mohammed Salim demanded answers from the Uttar Pradesh government over denying the family members their right to cremate their daughter.
“The parents and relatives of the daughter of the nation were not allowed to perform her last rites. This is the height of injustice, cruelty and aggression by the UP police at the behest of the state government. It seems efforts are being made to bury the inconvenient truth or is some influential criminal being shielded? The UP government needs to give answers,” said Salim.
Demanding justice for the victim, he said: “We demand an expeditious inquiry and trial of the case and expect the UP government to ensure that swift justice is delivered to the victim. Cases of rape and sexual harassment are on the rise in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, there have been cases of rape of minors in Maharajganj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Meerut and Greater Noida. The administration must take cognisance of this spike in sexual crimes by sprucing up its law and order machinery”.
The Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) held protests to demand justice for the victim at some places. SIO members in Telangana, Jharkhand and UP’s Rampur held demonstrations to protest the Hathras incident.
“Hathras rape is the systemic and unrelenting violence on Dalit women and clear picture of what caste dynamics entail. Speak up to end the silence that is allowing this gruesome form of discrimination to persist. Let’s stand with the Hathras daughter together and fight against the all forms of discrimination, sexual violence and police repression,” said Labeed Sahfi, national president of SIO.