Allow media, politicians to meet Hathras victim’s family, Uma Bharti urges Yogi Adityanath

Bharti said the suspicious action of UP Police has dented the BJP's image, adding that even she would have visited the woman's family had she not been hospitalised.

Yogi Adityanath and Uma Bharti at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya | Photo by special arrangement

New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti said Friday the “suspicious” action of UP police in the Hathras incident has “dented” the image of the BJP, the state government and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and requested him to allow mediapersons and politicians to meet the victim’s family.

Bharti, who has been admitted to AIIMS-Rishikesh after she tested positive for COVID-19, said had she been fine she would have herself visited the family in Hathras.

१)आदरणीय @myogiadityanath जी आपको जानकारी होगी ही की मै कोरोना पॉज़िटिव पाने से AIIMS ऋषिकेश में कोरोना वार्ड में भरती हू ।

— Uma Bharti (@umasribharti) October 2, 2020

She said she will definitely visit the family after getting discharged from the hospital.

६)आप एक बहुत ही साफ़ सुधरी छवि के शासक है । मेरा आपसे अनुरोध है कि आप मीडियाकर्मियों को एवं अन्य राजनीतिक दलो के लोगों को पीड़ित परिवार से मिलने दीजिये ।

— Uma Bharti (@umasribharti) October 2, 2020

In a series of tweets in Hindi, the senior BJP leader said, “UP police’s suspicious action has dented the image of BJP, UP government and the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath.”

Bharti, who said she has been keeping a close watch on the entire Hathras incident, urged Adityanath to allow media and political leaders to meet the aggrieved family.

Describing the UP chief minister as an “administrator with a clean image”, Bharti related herself as his elder sister but in a limited number of words indicated she was forced to speak after the police laid siege to the village and the victim’s family.

She said she was hesitant to speak about the incident, as she thought the chief minister must be taking appropriate action in this regard.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.