NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi accused the Mayawati government of mass murder and rape in villages barely 15 km from the Capital in a stunning charge that raised his confrontation with BSP over the crackdown on agitating farmers to a new level.
Following up on his visit to Bhatta Parsaul in Noida on Wednesday, Rahul said there was 17-feet high heap of ashes with dead bodies inside, hinting that rampaging cops killed and burnt farmers in big numbers contrary to the official toll of two. "Everybody in the village knows it. Women were raped, people thrashed, houses destroyed," he said.
Mayawati administration dismissed the claims as rumour mongering and alleged that Opposition parties provided illegal arms to anti-social elements to create disturbance in the village. "These elements were responsible for attacks on police and district officers which two policemen dead and the DM critically injured," a BSP statement said.
Sources said the government was collecting the ashes, which Rahul claimed contained human remains, and was sending them to Lucknow for forensic tests to check the veracity of his claims.
Rahul said Bhatta and Parsaul apart, the story was the same in villages down the Agra highway where state oppression had resulted in murder and rape. "There are severe atrocities in Noida. People were killed, raped. So I am quite concerned. Situation is still pretty bad there," he said. The party also released pictures taken in the village during Rahul's visit to back accusations of "police oppression".
The sensational claim came after Rahul accompanied a group of farmers from the two villages to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday evening to complain about police action. "They had a good conversation. The PM heard them quietly, so they are happy," he said.
Following up on his visit to Bhatta Parsaul in Noida on Wednesday, Rahul said there was 17-feet high heap of ashes with dead bodies inside, hinting that rampaging cops killed and burnt farmers in big numbers contrary to the official toll of two. "Everybody in the village knows it. Women were raped, people thrashed, houses destroyed," he said.
Mayawati administration dismissed the claims as rumour mongering and alleged that Opposition parties provided illegal arms to anti-social elements to create disturbance in the village. "These elements were responsible for attacks on police and district officers which two policemen dead and the DM critically injured," a BSP statement said.
Sources said the government was collecting the ashes, which Rahul claimed contained human remains, and was sending them to Lucknow for forensic tests to check the veracity of his claims.
Rahul said Bhatta and Parsaul apart, the story was the same in villages down the Agra highway where state oppression had resulted in murder and rape. "There are severe atrocities in Noida. People were killed, raped. So I am quite concerned. Situation is still pretty bad there," he said. The party also released pictures taken in the village during Rahul's visit to back accusations of "police oppression".
The sensational claim came after Rahul accompanied a group of farmers from the two villages to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday evening to complain about police action. "They had a good conversation. The PM heard them quietly, so they are happy," he said.
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