Hathras case: Accused defended at meeting held at former BJP MLA's residence
Lucknow/Hathras: Scores of people held a meeting Sunday outside the house of a former BJP MLA in Hathras where they defended the accused in the alleged gangrape of a Dalit woman who later died and demanded registration of an FIR against her family members.
The heavy police force was deployed in the vicinity of the residence of former BJP MLA Rajvir Singh Pehalvan, located around 8-9 kilometers from the victim's village.
One of the organizers of the meeting and Pehalvan's son Manveer Singh denied that the gathering comprised members from the upper castes and said they were from different sections of society.
We welcome the CBI inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. We have faith in the investigation, Singh told PTI while claiming that the victim's family members were changing their stand.
The entire scenario has been created to blame the government. The accused persons are in favor of any type of inquiry. But the victims are changing their stand every now and then. They do not want a narco test or a CBI probe. Now they want other kinds of inquiries, he claimed.
He said an FIR should be registered by police against the complainants in the case. "Our demand is that a case should be filed against those people who had filed the case in the first instance," he said.
The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14. She died on September 29 at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital where she had been brought for treatment.
On Sunday, Singh also said various legal options were being explored to defend the accused in the case. He asserted that the arrest of some of the accused persons from their homes was proof of their innocence.
Had they been guilty, they would have run away from their homes. Why would they be present in their homes, he said.
He also alleged that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were trying to influence the victim's family as they wanted to the issue to linger on.
The meeting assumes significance as it was held a day after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the victim's house and met her family members at a village in Hathras district, and the recommendation of a CBI probe by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
The victim was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on Wednesday. Her family alleged that they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
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Delhi's air quality worst in country, hits 'severe' for first time this season
New Delhi, Nov 13: Delhi recorded the country's worst air quality on Wednesday as it turned 'severe' for the first time this season, with the AQI soaring to 418.
Bihar's Hajipur, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 417, had the the second-worst reading in the country, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
Of Delhi's 36 monitoring stations, 30 reported air quality in the 'severe' category, the CPCB said.
In comparison, the national capital's 24-hour average AQI -- recorded at 4 pm every day -- stood at 334 on Tuesday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 'severe plus'.
According to the CPCB data, the city's AQI was in the 'severe' category for three days in January.
On January 14, the AQI was recorded at 447, followed by 409 each on January 24 and 26.
The CPCB said 'severe' AQI affected healthy people and seriously impacted those with existing medical conditions.
The air quality in the national capital had been in the 'very poor' category since it plunged to the level on October 30.
According to the Centre's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, vehicular emission was the top contributor to Delhi's pollution, with an estimated share of approximately 13.3 per cent.
The other prominent pollutants were PM2.5 and PM10.
PM2.5 and PM10 refer to fine particulate matter in the air, with the numbers indicating their size in micrometres.
PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair. These are so small that these can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks.
PM10 are coarser particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less, about the width of 10 human hairs. While not as concerning as PM2.5, these can still irritate the airways and worsen respiratory problems.
Long-term exposure to these particulate matter can increase the risk of heart disease.
