GHAZIABAD: National Chairman of All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations Udit Raj and his supporters were briefly stopped by Ghaziabad police at UP Gate on Monday while he was heading to Hathras district to meet the victim who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered.
The former BJP MP, who later quit the party and joined the Congress last year, was later granted permission to head to Hathras with a delegation of only six vehicles, police said.
Along with his supporters, the Dalit leader staged a sit-in on the road against the police action asserting that he had taken due permission from the Hathras DM and SP apart from the Additional Director General of Police of Agra Zone before leaving for Hathras from Delhi.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi must remove Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from his post as he is unable to handle the law and problem in the state. Hinduwadi BJP government is torturing Dalits under the garb of prohibitory orders. Thakur caste people must support the Dalits for getting justice in the case but they are beating the Dalits and holding a panchayat," Raj told the media at the spot.
Even after imposition of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in Hathras, the supporters of the accused persons in the incident held a meeting there, Raj said, adding that leaders of Opposition parties have been lathi charged by police.
Section 144 of the CrPC allows a District Magistrate to impose restrictions in the form of prohibitory orders in a particular area, to address urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger.
The Dalit leader's motorcade was intercepted after getting a letter from the Hathras DM in which it stated that Raj wanted to carry out a rally in Hathras.
Police, though, said permission has not been granted to him due to enforcement of Section 144 in the district.
After talking to the Hathras DM, Raj was permitted to go with only six vehicles, Deputy Superintendent of police Anshu Jain said.