Hundreds of DMK workers led by the party’s women’s wing chief and Member of Parliament Kanimozhi were detained by the police on Monday for holding a candlelight march to condemn the alleged gangrape and murder of a Dalit woman in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. DMK President MK Stalin also took part in the protest and delivered an address to the protesters.
Kanimozhi urged people to join the candle march from Saidapet to Raj Bhavan in Guindy on Monday evening. Scores joined the DMK leaders in Saidapet. The protesters mainly women were wearing masks with slogans “Save women” and “Women need safety” imprinted on them.
DMK MP Kanimozhi and members of women's wing detained in Saidapet by police for March without permission against #HathrasHorrorShocksIndia pic.twitter.com/Ul5OzjRNb4
— priyankathirumurthy (@priyankathiru) October 5, 2020
Before the march, the DMK President Stalin addressed party workers stating, ”An innocent Dalit woman was not only raped but officials have denied that it was rape. The body of the woman was not even shown to the family members and the police have burned the body. The police have also abducted and confined the woman’s father during the final rites.“
“Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi who went to Hathras to demand justice were also assaulted and were pushed down to the ground. We should not think that Rahul Gandhi alone was pushed to the ground but they have also pushed democracy to the ground,” he said.
The DMK women’s wing chief Kanimozhi said, “The investigation should take place with the monitoring of the Allahabad High Court. The family or anyone doesn't believe in Central Bureau of Investigation. We wanted to meet the Tamil Nadu Governor and I do not know why they stopped us.”
The protesters led by MP Kanimozhi started to march to Raj Bhavan from Saidapet with candlelights, as homage to the victim. Protesters, however, crowded the area flouting physical distancing norms. Following this, the police detained the leaders near Saidapet.
Watch visuals from the protest