New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday came out in support of activist Bela Bhatia and others like her, fighting for justice for tribals in Chhattisgarh and said that violence cannot silence the truth.
Violence has never silenced the truth. I stand with Bela Bhatia & all those fighting for justice for the tribals of Chhattisgarh — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 24, 2017
Bhatia was allegedly asked to vacate her house in Pandripani village in Bastar district yesterday by the villagers who held a protest outside it accusing her of being a 'Maoist sympathiser', the police had said.
Bhatia claimed that she was allegedly threatened by a group of men who asked her to vacate immediately, failing which they will set the house ablaze.
Also Read: Not leaving Bastar, Will Continue to Work For People: Bela Bhatia
The incident occurred in Pandripani village under Parpa police station limits.
This comes two days after Bhatia visited villages in Bijapur district with a National Human Rights Commission team that recorded statements of women who had allegedly been the victims of rape, physical and sexual assault by security personnel between October 2015 and January 2016.
Two weeks ago, the NHRC had issued an interim order stating that 16 women were victims of such acts. In November 2015, Bhatia was one of the activists who had entered villages deep inside Bijapur, facilitated the registration of FIRs and brought the alleged incidents to public attentionAlso Read: Activist Bela Bhatia Threatened, Asked to Leave Chhattisgarh’s Bastar
"After getting the information of demonstration by local villagers in front of Bhatia's house in Pandripani village under Parpa police station limits, a police team was rushed to the spot," Bastar SP RN Dash had said, adding that enough security has been provided for her protection.(With PTI Inputs)
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