Stopped en-route to Hathras, Gandhis begin foot-march 

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday started a foot-march on the highway between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to meet the family members of a Dailt gang-rape victim, after their convoy was stopped on Yamuna Expressway.

In Hathras, the district magistrate has imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and ordered sealing of the district borders to maintain peace.

The Gandhis, who have been critical of the BJP-led UP government for failing to protect the victim, want to express their condolences and show solidarity to the victim’s family in Hathras.

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14 and referred to the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on Monday with spinal cord injuries, paralysis and cuts in her tongue. She died around 3 am on Tuesday. Her dead-of-night cremation by the UP police provoked nationwide outrage.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress media coordinator Lalan Kumar had said in Lucknow that a large number of party workers have gathered at Ghaziabad to receive the two leaders.