UP Police lathicharge RLD leader and former MP Jayant Chaudhary in Hathras

In a viral video, RLD leader and former MP Jayant Chaudhary, son of veteran RLD leader Ajit Singh and grandson of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, was seen brutally assaulted by UP Police personnel as he interacted with the media in Hathras, where he had gone to meet the alleged gang-rape victim’s family on Sunday. He was shielded by his supporters, who formed a human shield around him.

Chaudhary has called on his supporters to gather in Muzaffarnagar on 8 October against the brutal attack on him. He tweeted, “If you have the right to wield a cane, then I too have the right to stand with my people. Keep wielding the cane, our resolve will strengthen further. Will meet in Muzaffarnagar on 8 October.”

Jayant ended his tweet with a hashtag ‘save democracy.’

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has condemned the development. She tweeted, “The UP Police’s action against Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary is extremely condemnable. Such violence against opposition leaders? This is a sign of government’s arrogance and utter lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh. They have perhaps forgotten that our country is a democracy. People will remind them.”