Audio By Carbonatix
Indian police briefly detained several opposition leaders on Thursday as they headed toward the site where a low-caste young woman died this week after being gang-raped, the latest such attack to whip up nationwide anger and protests.
Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, siblings and leaders of the main opposition Congress Party, were blocked and arrested by police as they tried to drive then walk to see the dead woman’s family in Hathras, a district of Uttar Pradesh state about 100 km (60 miles) from Delhi.
Video footage from ANI news agency showed Rahul Gandhi jostling with police before falling to the ground.
The Gandhis and 250 other Congress workers had now been released, Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Kumar Lallu told Reuters.
After clashes in the area on Wednesday, authorities said on Thursday they were barring gatherings of five or more people and would block politicians from the area.
In the latest case of violence against women to grab headlines in India, the 19-year-old woman from the Dalit community died from injuries on Tuesday after being attacked on Sept. 14 near her home, authorities said. The Dalit community often faces violence and discrimination.
Police have arrested four men for rape.
India is one of the world’s most dangerous places for women, with a rape occurring every 15 minutes, according to federal data - figures that rights groups say vastly underestimate the scale of the problem.
Trouble
Protesters and security forces clashed on Wednesday after police cremated the woman’s body.
The victim’s brother told Reuters the cremation was against the wishes of her family, who had wanted to perform funeral rites. Local officials deny this.
Twenty-five people were arrested over the unrest, according to a police information report. A witness told Reuters police had wielded batons.
The victim and her brother are not being identified due to laws against naming victims of sexual violence. The four men arrested were all from a higher caste, her brother told Reuters.
Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of more than 200 million people and is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, ranks as particularly unsafe for women.
Opposition leaders have highlighted several other violent incidents in the state in recent days, including allegations of a similar gang rape of a Dalit woman in Balrampur.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana Muslim Mission holds summit to promote ethical, digital content creation
11 minutes -
Youth and Sports Committee Chair pushes for full trial in 2023 African Games saga
18 minutes -
12 dead, 2 critically injured in fatal crash on Nkenkensu highway
27 minutes -
AfDB, UNFPA sign landmark agreement to boost Maternal Health and Africa’s economic transformation
48 minutes -
Lead exposure remains a hidden danger for Ghana’s battery and paint workers
53 minutes -
UNFPA, African Development Bank forge alliance to strengthen maternal health
53 minutes -
IJM calls for increased funding and media action against human trafficking in Ghana
1 hour -
Finance Minister lays 4 key 2025 fiscal and energy reports before Parliament
2 hours -
Ghana AIDS Commission calls for intensified HIV testing as treatment gaps persist
2 hours -
Photos: Vice President joins Guyana’s 60th independence anniversary celebration
2 hours -
Findings from 2023 African Games shocking and staggering – Anti-corruption campaigner
2 hours -
China executes man for poisoning billionaire gaming tycoon
2 hours -
Create industries around startups – Venture capitalist calls for focus on industrial champions
2 hours -
Ferrari unveils first fully electric car
2 hours -
Senegal’s President appoints 60-year-old Ahmadou Alhaminou Mohamed Lo as new Prime Minister
2 hours