File Picture Courtesy : Hindustan Times
The Congress party in a scathing attack has demanded the dismissal of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, dubbing his government a “Ravan” regime which has failed to protect women, after an 18-year-old alleged she was gang-raped and her father died in police custody in the state’s Unnao district. “Yogi Adityanath government is a government of Ravan, which has failed to protect women,” Congress communications in- charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
“Yogi Adityanath has no right to continue as the chief minister. He should be immediately dismissed,” Surjewala said. The 18-year-old woman has alleged she was raped by Bangermau BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brothers. The victim’s father died in custody in Unnao on Tuesday, prompting the woman to charge that he was killed inside the district jail at the behest of the BJP legislator.
The police yesterday arrested Atul Singh, brother of the BJP legislator, in connection with the gangrape.
It is shocking that the Yogi Govt has withdrawn a rape case against a former BJP minister. This move will further embolden criminals and jeopardise women’s security in a state that has witnessed a sharp rise in crimes against women. https://t.co/s0vwe3abQu
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 11, 2018
In a tweet, the Congress party said: “It is shocking that the Yogi Govt has withdrawn a rape case against a former BJP minister. This move will further embolden criminals and jeopardise women’s security in a state that has witnessed a sharp rise in crimes against women.”
INC COMMUNIQUE
Press release issued by AICC Communications In-Charge @rssurjewala on Unnao rape case. pic.twitter.com/0ijK48f692
— INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) April 11, 2018
The party attached a news report with the tweet about the Uttar Pradesh government deciding to withdraw a rape and kidnapping case against former Union minister Swami Chinmayananda. In Lucknow, the state government spokesman Siddhartnath Singh told reporters on Tuesday that though the government has taken a decision to withdraw the case, the matter will finally be decided by the court.
The FIR against Chinmayananda was lodged on 30 November, 2011, on the complaint of a girl who had spent several years at his ashram.
Meanwhile , according to various media reports, in day marked by high drama, The Uttar Pradesh government has handed over the twin cases of the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman and the custodial death of her father in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao to the CBI even as the ruling BJP tries to distance itself from the charges against its MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.
The MLA was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and POCSO at Unnao’s Makhi Police Station on Thursday morning. The decision to handover the case to the CBI was taken late on Wednesday, hours after the BJP MLA made a dramatic appearance before the police but refused to surrender.
