New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam on Monday claimed that the party delegation was stopped mid-day and denied a chance to meet the family of Meerut victim Lalita Gautam.

Speaking to IANS, Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the party workers will assemble at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 27 to raise their voice against the Dalit student’s murder and also demand justice for her.

He also said that the Congress delegation led by him, which included many senior leaders and MPs like Imran Masood, was stopped by the police at the Kashi toll plaza and refused permission to meet the family of the missing Meerut victim.

“Police kept us waiting for hours, giving assurances that they would allow us to meet the victim’s family but then denied permission for the same, citing law and order conditions,” he remarked.

He also demanded Rs 1 crore as financial compensation to the affected family, along with a government job for one member of the victim’s family and also sought a speedy investigation to bring the perpetrators to book.

The UP Congress in-charge also lashed out at the SSP’s conduct and demanded his suspension over alleged excesses on demonstrators.

“Action should be taken against the SSP, who openly took the law into his own hands. Why has no case been registered against him? Why has he not been suspended?” he asked.

According to police, the 20-year-old Lalita Gautam had gone missing from the TP Nagar area on May 15 and two days later, her dead body was found in the Rohta area. Ankush Kumar (23), identified as the main accused, was arrested on May 18, while another was held for allegedly destroying evidence.

The incident prompted protests by her family and community members.

The Congress delegation that headed to Meerut included Lok Sabha MPs Imran Masood and Tanuj Punia, Rajya Sabha MP Karamveer Singh Bauddh and AICC OBC Department chairman Anil Jaihind, among others.

Earlier, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had accused the BJP dispensation of turning a blind eye to the family woes, stating that it exposes the double engine government’s “anti-Dalit” face.

–IANS

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