LUCKNOW: Police brie­fly detained several opposition leaders on Thursday as they headed toward the site where a low-caste young woman died this week after being gang-raped, the latest such attack to whip up nationwide anger and protests.

Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, siblings and leaders of the Congress Party, were blocked and arrested by police as they tried to drive then walk to see the dead woman’s family in Hathras, a district in Uttar Pradesh 100 km from Delhi.

Video footage showed Rahul Gandhi jostling with police before falling to the ground.

The Gandhis and 250 other Congress workers were released late in the night, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said.

After clashes in the area, authorities said they were barring gatherings of five or more people and would block politicians from the area.

In the latest case of violence against women to grab headlines in India, the 19-year-old woman from the Dalit community died from injuries on Tuesday after being attacked on Sept 14 near her home. The Dalit community often faces violence and discrimination.

Police have arrested four men for rape.

India is one of the world’s most dangerous places for women, with a rape occurring every 15 minutes, according to federal data _ figures that rights groups say vastly underestimate the scale of the problem.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2020