“Dadi of Shaheen Bagh” Demands Justice For Hathras Victim

Tarafdar zaman

4 years ago

Bilkis dadi, also known as the “Dadi of Shaheen Bagh” recently featured in the Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people this year. Image via Twitter, courtesy to @meerfaisal01

Bilkis Daadi — Bilkis dadi, also known as the “Dadi of Shaheen Bagh” recently featured in the Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people this year. Image via Twitter, courtesy to @meerfaisal01

Bilkis dadi, who was the prime face of the Shaheen Bagh protest, recently shared a message holding a placard. Through this placard, Bilkis dadi was trying to highlight the plight of the Hathras rape victim and her family. “Dalit Lives Matter” was written on the placard she was holding. She also asked where she could apply for a visa to visit the victim’s family…

The incident took place in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The victim, a Dalit girl, was allegedly gangraped, her tongue was cut off and her spine was broken. She was admitted to the hospital, but she lost her life. As soon as the outrage began, the local police cremated her body at night without her family’s permission.

Protests have erupted in some parts of the country ever since. Many protesters and journalists tried reaching out to the victim’s family, but Section 144 was imposed in the village in a bid to stop media and opposition leaders from meeting the grieving family. However, opposition leaders Priyanka And Rahul Gandhi were able to reach the victim’s home and meet the family later.

Also read: Caste Cannot Be “Disregarded” When It Comes To Crimes Against Women

One should not forget that this rape incident took place in Uttar Pradesh. It is the same state which saw the maximum number of casualties under the administration of CM Yogi Adityanath during the anti-CAA protests. It was another glaring example of system’s apathy.