New Delhi: On Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded to the Delhi Police's notice regarding his "women still being sexually assaulted" remark during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In his four-page preliminary reply, Gandhi questioned the process adopted by the authorities and a sudden urgency after a 45-day delay.
Only hours after a team from the Delhi Police Department knocked on the Congress leader's door for the third time in five days, he issued the 10-point response. Police in Delhi have questioned him about comments he made on January 30, and he has asked for eight to ten days to respond, according to sources.
At 10 a.m., a police team led by Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda came at Rahul Gandhi's apartment on 12, Tughlaq Lane, according to officials. After two hours, the team was able to meet with the Congress leader, and they left at 1 p.m.
The police said that Gandhi made the comment, "I have heard that women are still being sexually attacked," during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar; since the Yatra also travelled through Delhi, they want to know if any victims addressed the Congress politician here.
To ensure the safety of these individuals, "the police had asked him to furnish details of these victims," an official stated.
According to reports, Gandhi sent a preliminary reply just before 4 p.m. in which he called the police action "unprecedented" and inquired as to whether or not it had anything to do with his position taken both inside and outside of Parliament on the Adani issue.
They said that after a 45-day delay following his address in Srinagar, Gandhi asked the Delhi Police twice in as many days, what their hurry was.
The former head of Congress reportedly demanded to know if any other political party, including the ruling party, has been questioned or scrutinised in the same way regarding their electoral campaigns.
An angry Congress has slammed the Delhi Police action and criticized the Central government, calling it the "worst case of harassment and political vendetta", while the BJP refuted the claim and said the police was "just fulfilling its lawful duties".—Inputs from Agencies