By Irshad Khan
Srinagar Apr 14: The BJP District President Udhampur, Rakesh Gupta and his associated on Saturday assaulted Talib Hussain, an activist at the forefront of the protest for justice to the Kathua rape and murder victim.
Speaking in a hoarse voice over phone from Jammu, Hussain told The Kashmir Monitor that Gupta and two other persons—he identified them as Sushant and Arjun of RSS—thrashed him during a “news debate” at Udhampur.
The debate, Hussain said, was organised by “News18” network.
“As I was to put forward my point, they pounced upon me and beat me up,” Hussain alleged.
Talib alleged that Gupta called him “a Pakistani who got our people of Hiranagar arrested”.
Hussain said he was saved by other participants.
Reaching to the spot only “after 10-12 minutes” the Station House Officer (SHO) Udhampur, instead of acting against Hussain’s attackers, “blamed me for turning up for the event,” Hussain accused.
Hussain said a few of the family members of the Kathua rape and murder victim including her uncle were also there.
“I cannot speak. My throat hurts… Although I do not have external injuries, but my whole body is aching,” Hussain said.
Hussain said that he later lodged a “written complaint” against Gupta and accomplices, including Sushant and Arjun, at Police Station, Udhampur.
Asked for details into Hussain’s complaint against Rakesh Gupta and others, SHO Udhampur, Sanjeev Gupta, told this reporter to “go through the News 18 (programme) on YouTube, everything will be cleared”.
“We are still investigating, that is why I am telling you to go through YouTube,” he said on being insisted.
Gupta did not say against whom was the complaint lodged.
“He has lodged a complaint against a person who was not present there. We are investigating it,” he said. “He is some Sushant affiliated to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), but he was not there. We confirmed it from the anchors.”
Over Hussain naming Rakesh Gupta in the complaint, the SHO remarked: “You check it and I will also check it.”
