Presidency University Students Council members take to

Students council leaders Mimosa Ghorai and Debnil Paul alleged that the 19-year-old woman was "brutalised in a ghastly manner" and the Uttar Pradesh government was "trying to make light of the incident and similar attacks on women and Dalits in the state." "Political parties, rights groups, media are being prevented to visit the area and meet the victim's family. Why?

At least 100 members of Presidency University Students Council on Friday took out a torch rally in the city demanding justice for the Dalit woman who was murdered after being allegedly gangraped at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh. The students council is run by SFI, students' wing of the CPI(M).

The rallyists carried placards which read, "We protest the act of UP police to burn the body of the woman and shield the accused in the case," "Women are not safe under Yogi (Adityanath's) rule," "Let the attack on Dalits, minorities, women stop." The protestors of the elite university walked a distance of around one km from College Square to Hedua Park in north Kolkata holding torches and shouting slogans demanding safety for every woman in the country. Students council leaders Mimosa Ghorai and Debnil Paul alleged that the 19-year-old woman was "brutalised in a ghastly manner" and the Uttar Pradesh government was "trying to make light of the incident and similar attacks on women and Dalits in the state." "Political parties, rights groups, media are being prevented to visit the area and meet the victim's family.

Why? This is an effort by the BJP government in the state to throttle democracy," Paul said. "Why was she cremated in a hush hush manner in the dead of night in the absence of her family members?" Ghorai asked.

The students council also alleged that women are facing atrocities, including rape, in West Bengal.