CRACKDOWN

Indian Opposition Leaders Arrested on Way to Visit Rape Victim’s Family

The sexual assault and murder of a 19-year-old has sparked protests by members of India’s lowest caste.

Indian authorities charged two leaders of the opposition Congress Party with violating COVID-19 restrictions after they were arrested on their way to protest the rape and murder of a teenage girl. Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, who are part of the family that produced three Indian prime ministers, planned to meet with relatives of the victim in the village of Hathras, where demonstrators have been gathering since her death on Tuesday. The protesters contend that the 19-year-old was targeted because she is from India’s lowest caste, Dalit, and that police didn’t investigate aggressively. The young woman’s family also says authorities cremated her body against their wishes.