BJP ministers to meet family of UP rape victim after Yogi Adityanath's order
Lucknow: On direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, ministers Kamal Rani Varun and Swami Prasad Maurya will leave immediately for Unnao to meet family of rape victim on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday termed the death of Unnao gangrape victim "extremely sad" and conveyed his condolences to the aggrieved family.
The Chief Minister in a press note said that all the accused have been arrested and the case will be taken to a fast-track court.
"All the accused persons have been arrested. The case will be taken to a fast-track court, and punishment will be given," he said in a statement issued here.
After battling for life at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital, the Unnao Rape victim who was set ablaze while on her way to a court hearing on Thursday morning died at 11:40 pm on Friday.
Condemning the death of Unnao rape victim, Keshav Prasad Maurya, UP Deputy Chief Minister said: “This is an extremely unfortunate incident, I can't even imagine what the family of the victim is going through. I assure them that we will not spare the culprits, will get them punished at the earliest.”
On Thursday, the 23-year-old was airlifted from Lucknow's SMC government hospital to Safdarjung Hospital.
Talking on reports about 86 rapes in last 11 months in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh Justice Minister Brajesh Pathak said, “These cases should not be politicised. We will not spare the culprits, however powerful they may be. We will take strictest action.”
“It is saddening that the victim is no more with us today. We will appeal to the concerned court today to take this case to fast track court. We will also appeal to hear the case on a day to day basis,” Pathak added.
BJP lawmaker Gautam Gambhir on Saturday expressed grief over the death of Unnao rape victim and said 'it is very disheartening that today we all have failed as a nation.'
"Today I feel ashamed as an Indian as we failed a rape victim, who was first raped then burned brutally by the accused. It is disheartening that we as a nation have failed to save her," Gambhir told ANI.
He said that all individuals should take responsibility across party lines and not politicise such matters.
Urging political parties to stand together in support of rape victims, he said: "All I want to request is that at least in the rape cases, we should not politicise. It is very hard to feel the pain of the victim's family. The nation belongs to both men and women. We have to stop a situation where women feel unsafe after sunset."
"I want this country for women as much as for men. They have contributed a lot to the building of the nation. There is a need to change mindsets, not dressing style of women," he said.
The cricketer-turned-politician further said that strict laws shall be implemented and the judicial system should be changed.
He added that children should be educated well and there is a need for behavioural change.
Being asked about the delay in giving punishment to rape accused, he said: "Hanging should be made legal in rape cases. The accused should be punished within a month."
After the death of death of the Unnao rape victim who was set ablaze while on her way to a court, Oppositions left no stones unturned to take a dig at the BJP-led government in the state.
Taking it to Twitter, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday questioned the Uttar Pradesh government over the actions being taken by it to stop the atrocities on women in the state.
"Keeping in mind the previous incident of Unnao, why did the government not provide immediate protection to the victim? What action was taken against the officer who refused to register her FIR? What is the government doing to stop the atrocities on women happening daily in Uttar Pradesh?" she added.
Gandhi also shared a picture with a quote--'Save me, I want to stay alive, Unnao rape victim tells doctors in Delhi."
"I pray to God to give courage to the family of Unnao rape victim in this hour of grief. It is a failure of all of us that we could not give her justice. Socially, we all are guilty but this also shows the hollow law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh," Priyanka wrote in another tweet.
In a veiled attack to the ruling party in the state, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav demanded the resignation of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state Home Secretary and DGP. He said, “This is an extremely condemnable incident. This is a black day. It is not the first such incident under this BJP government. The chief minister had said in this very assembly, 'apradhiyon ko thok diya jayega', they could not save the life of a daughter. Till the day Chief Minister and state Home Secretary DGP don't resign, justice will not be done.”
He also said that tomorrow a “shokh sabha” (prayers) will be conducted in all districts of the state over Unnao rape case.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday called the death of the rape victim from Unnao "shameful" for every Indian and said he hoped that the Uttar Pradesh government will hang the culprits "to set an example" for the society.
"The death of Unnao's daughter is shameful for every Indian. God give courage to the family of the victim. The whole country is standing with them in this fight. I hope that the UP government will soon complete the judicial process and hang our daughter's killers that will set an example for the whole society," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
According to the police, five miscreants allegedly threw kerosene on the woman and set her ablaze when she was on her way to a local court for the hearing of a rape case she had filed in March.
(With inputs from agencies)
