The Indian National Congress has gone on the offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party government claiming an increase in the number of atrocities against Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and women especially in BJP states. The attack follows a reported rape and murder of a teenage girl belonging to the Vishwakarma community in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking at a press conference in the All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi, party leaders called into question law and order in the state. Rajendra Pal Gautam, chairman of the party SC department, asserted that a Congress delegation was not allowed to meet the family of the victim. He claimed that he, together with the senior leaders, was arrested at the Varanasi Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport when he was heading to Ghazipur.
The incident has led to the imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the district by the authorities. Congressional leaders termed the action as an effort to suppress the voices and limit democracies. Gautam further claimed that there was an unproclaimed emergency being imposed, claiming that the ruling establishment was abusing its power against the marginalised communities.
Other leaders such as Ajay Kumar Lallu were suspicious of the motive of the government arguing that governance in Uttar Pradesh was on a decline. They referred to other acts of violence against backward communities to draw attention to what they termed as an overarching trend.
Rahul Gandhi on the other hand has ordered high-level inquiry in the case, seeking accountability and justice in the case of the victim.