By Atul Krishan
New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) A team of Delhi Police led by senior officials arrived at the residence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Tughlak Lane area to record his statement.
The Delhi Police are seeking information about the whereabouts of victims who approached him during his Bharat Jodo Yatra and informed him about their sexual assault.
Heavy security arrangements were made outside the house during the visit of senior officials.
Sources said that senior police officials had served the notice to Gandhi in this respect. The source said that Gandhi himself received the notice.
Speaking with the mediaperaons, Special Commissioner of Police, law and order, Dr Sagar Preet Hooda said that Gandhi made the statement on January 30 in J&K’s Srinagar.
The official said that the last time they tried to gather information was on March 15 and notice was served on March 16.
“This is very serious matter and we came here to gather more information in this connection. We need information regarding his speech and the victims so that we could initiate legal action into the matter and victims could get justice,” said Hooda.
The official said that on Sunday they couldn’t meet Gandhi, but his staff was briefed about the matter. When asked if the speech was made at Srinagar, what role the Delhi Police were playing?. To this the official said that his Bharat Jodo Yatra was also carried out in Delhi and hence they wanted to know about the whereabouts of the victims and the accused.
“We want to know the full facts, if he could share information regarding the victims so that action could be taken against the accused. If the victims are of Delhi, we will lodge FIRs, if they are of other states then we would inform them,” said Hooda.
The official said that his speech was viral on social media and came to their notice after which they decided to reach out to the victims. The officials said that first they cross checked whether any woman was seen wailing during his procession in Delhi, and no such woman was found and hence they wanted to know who they were, were they of Delhi or from some other place.
The Delhi Police wanted to discuss the whole matter with Gandhi, but he was abroad at that time. And soon after his return to India, the Delhi Police sent him a notice to get information about these victims to initiate legal action against the culprits.
(Atul Krishan can be approached at atul.k@ians.in)
–IANS
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