Gandhi, who is currently on a three-day tour of Rae Bareli, was told about Paswan’s plight at Sarai Dijauna by the villagers during her visit there.
She was told that the local police had falsely implicated Paswan in a case pertaining to illicit liquor manufacturing.
Gandhi immediately summoned the local police officials, who admitted that Paswan was innocent. They also assured her that he would be released shortly. Her intervention is certain to invite criticism from the ruling BSP. The Congress had alleged that Dalits in the state were being harassed by the police. On the second day of her visit, Gandhi went to several villages and met a cross-section of people.
Published 11 August 2009, 17:56 IST