There is a lot of uproar in the case of murder of a Dalit girl in Meerut. Protests against the murder, confrontation with the police and now the reaction of the opposition leaders have brought this matter to the center of the state’s politics. On Wednesday, Dalit organizations protested regarding this matter. Their confrontation with the police continued for hours. The protesters also accused the police of beating them and lathicharge. In this case, the police have registered a case against more than 30 people including 6 named under various sections.
20-year-old Lalita Gautam, living in Gagan Enclave in TP Nagar area of Meerut, was studying BA. On May 15, she left home to appear for the college exam. But she did not return till late evening. Panicked family members started searching for her in a delirious state, but could not reach Lalita. The family lodged a missing complaint of Lalita at TP Nagar police station on 16 May.
After the missing report, the police started investigation. Checked nearby CCTV cameras. During this, Lalita was seen with a young man named Ankush, resident of village Kalyanpur. When the police took Ankush into custody and started interrogating him, he confessed to the murder of Lalita.
What is the theory of the police??
- According to the police theory, there was a love affair between Lalita and Ankush. Both were together on the day of the incident.
- Meanwhile, Ankush’s eyes fell on some chats and photos of Lalita’s mobile.
- This made him suspect that Lalita was related to some other young man.
- In such a situation, he murdered Lalita and threw her body in the sugarcane field located in Upasia forest of Rohta police station area of Meerut.
What is the demand of the victim’s family?
At present, the police has arrested only one accused Ankush in this case. At the same time, the family members had filed a case against Ankush and two other youths in this case. The family members of Lalita Gautam say that no single youth can carry out such a murder. Other people are also involved in this.
The family has demanded that all the accused whose names have been given in the FIR of this case should be arrested. The case should be heard in a fast track court. The culprits should be given no less than death sentence. Financial assistance should be given to the victim’s family. Also, one member of the family should be given a government job.
The family has been demanding the arrest of the three accused and financial assistance from the police for a long time. Lalita Gautam was from the Dalit community, so after her murder, these organizations also started protests. But the matter flared up the most during the protests held on Wednesday, i.e. 08 July.
How the ruckus broke out during the protest
On July 08, a large number of people reached the Collectorate to demonstrate. The protesters wanted to submit a memorandum to the District Magistrate. He also had permission for this. But meanwhile, a large number of people from Dalit community from other districts of Western UP started reaching Meerut Collectorate.
Seeing the huge crowd, the police closed the main gate of Meerut Collectorate. Then the protesters sat on strike outside the gate. Due to this there was jam on the road. During this time the protesters remained sitting outside the gate for almost 3 hours. The police did not agree even after much persuasion.
On information, SSP Avinash Pandey also reached the spot. The protesters claim that he slapped the protesting people. Then the police entered the van and beat up the people. During this time, a lawyer also tried to commit suicide by hanging himself. After this, the police resorted to lathi charge and took 50-60 people into custody.
How did politics enter into this matter?
At present, this matter is no longer criminal. This matter has now become a big issue of Dalit oppression, law and order, police action and politics of Western Uttar Pradesh. Actually, Lalita belonged to Dalit community. At the same time, along with the main accused, other accused are from other communities. Meanwhile, Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad left for Meerut to meet the victim’s family. He also had an argument with the police on the way. But he could not reach the victim’s village.
Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and BSP chief Mayawati has given a big statement on the protest over the murder of Lalita Gautam in Meerut. Mayawati appealed to the society not to take law into their hands and said that the fight against injustice should be fought only within the ambit of law. Mayawati said that some organizations, in order to shine in politics, instigate the victims’ families and bring them out on the streets, which leads to incidents like violence and road jams, and later their leaders reach the spot and bake political bread. It is being said that he has targeted Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad without taking his name.
UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the voice of justice cannot be imprisoned in democracy. Most of the members of the Congress delegation, who were going to meet the family of deceased Lalita Gautam, were put under house arrest in their homes since late night. After all, what are the government and the administration afraid of? Has even meeting the victim’s family become a crime now?
If only those seeking justice are stopped, then it is not a symbol of democracy but of repression. The Congress Party and every worker of the Congress stood firmly against every injustice, is standing and will continue to stand. Our struggle to protect justice and the Constitution will continue. No matter how many restrictions are imposed, the voice of justice and the Constitution cannot be suppressed.
Why did Dalit politics enter?
The first reason was that the victim belonged to the Dalit community. Dalit organizations allege that action in cases related to Dalits is not taken at the expected pace. Secondly, Western Uttar Pradesh has been a strong area of Dalit politics for a long time. Dalit organizations mobilize rapidly on such matters. For this reason, this matter was not limited to murder only but became an issue of Dalit respect, justice and political representation.
How influential are Dalits in Western UP?
The population of Dalits is healthy in western Uttar Pradesh. Based on an estimate, the Dalit population in most of the districts of Western UP is between 20% to 30%. Based on 2011 census, the Scheduled Caste (SC) population in Meerut district is approximately 2425%. There are large numbers of Jatav, Valmiki, Khatik, Dhobi and other scheduled castes here. In such elections, in many seats where the margin of victory or defeat is less, Dalit votes play a decisive role. Lalita Gautam murder case can affect Dalit politics in this region. If the opposition continuously raises its voice on this issue and questions remain on the government’s investigation, then its effect may be visible in some assembly constituencies.
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