BHOPAL: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday condemned the death of a Dalit youth in police custody at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh and said it is not possible without the support of the government.
He claimed that the Congress will not tolerate “shameful and highly condemnable” incidents. The party will continue to fight for the rights of “Bahujans” and get justice for them.
“On one hand, Dalit youth was killed in police custody in MP’s Dewas. On the other hand, tribal women were tied to trees and beaten in Balasore, Odisha. Both these incidents are sad, shameful and highly condemnable,” he posted on X.
“Due to the Manuvadi thinking of the BJP, such incidents are happening one after another in the states ruled by them – this isn’t possible without the government’s support. Such barbarism against the Bahujans of the country won’t be tolerated at any cost,” he added.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also alleged that the “insult of Babasaheb Ambedkar and oppression on weaker sections is the basic mantra of BJP’s rule”.
She said, “The death of a Dalit youth in police custody in Dewas (MP) is extremely serious. The family alleged that the youth died due to police brutality. Earlier, there was news of atrocities on Dalit families and death of a Dalit youth in police custody from Parbhani (Maharashtra). It seems that under the BJP rule, the police have got a free hand to oppress the weaker sections like Dalits, Adivasis and the deprived.”
Hours after the incident, opposition Congress leaders led by state party chief Jitu Patwari and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma staged a protest outside the concerned police station over the incident.