'Won't step back until family gets justice': Rahul meets kin of Dalit man killed in Rae Bareli
Asked about the Kolkata rape case, Rahul said he won't allow any distraction and will talk about it later
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (August 20) met the family of a 22-year-old Dalit man who was recently shot dead in Salon area of Rae Bareli in UP, and said he would ensure the family gets justice.
Rahul claimed that people in the area were angry because no action was being taken against the "mastermind" behind the killing.
"All people here are demanding justice because a Dalit man has been killed. His entire family has been threatened, one person has been killed but no action is being taken here...," Rahul told reporters at Bhuvalpur Sisni village.
Rahul, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is the MP from Rae Bareli constituency. "The SP (superintendent of police) here is not taking action against the mastermind, he is arresting small people. I want that every section of the society should be respected in Uttar Pradesh and everyone should get justice... We are not going to step back until this family gets justice," he said.
The man, Arjun Pasi, was shot dead on August 11 allegedly after an altercation with some locals. Six people have been arrested in the case so far, according to police.
Rahul arrived at the Fursatganj airport in adjoining Amethi district around 1 pm and straightway headed for the Bhuvalpur Sisni village in Rae Bareli. He was accompanied by Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit president Ajay Rai, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Avinash Pande and senior party leader Pramod Tiwari, among others.
Rahul says he will speak about Kolkata rape later
When asked for comments on the Kolkata rape and murder case of a doctor, he said he had come to Raebareli for this incident and has spoken about the Kolkata case earlier.
"I do not want to talk about that case here. I don't want to describe that case here," he said.
Alleging that the press doesn't want to highlight the Dalit's issue, Rahul said that he won't allow any distraction. "I will speak about the Kolkata issue later," he added.
After his visit, Rahul returned to Fursatganj airport to fly back to Delhi. However, due to a technical issue with the chartered aircraft, the Leader of the Opposition had to travel to Lucknow by road and then fly to Delhi, a local police official said.
(With Agency inputs)