Political parties and women right activists on Sunday demanded punitive action against irresponsible policemen after an incident of a woman sweeper, who works at the Ayodhya Ram Janmbhoomi temple complex, alleged of being gang-raped, and accused the police of delaying in action after the crime.
According to the complaint lodged by the 20-year-old woman at the Ayodhya’s Cantt police station, she was gang-raped on three different occasions between August 16 and 25. The victim approached the police on August 26, but her complaint was registered only on September 2
“Police are not able to give justice for the rape victim, instead they are threatening her. Police who are responsible for this should be suspended immediately. The law-and-order situation in the State has reached a low level,” said Urmila Verma, a Lucknow based women’s rights activist.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav also alleged that such incidents highlight that courage of criminals are high. “The video statement of a gangrape victim in Ayodhya has revealed the root cause of the increasing harassment and atrocities against women in Uttar Pradesh.. The victim had to suffer a lot to file a report due to some insensitive policemen. Due to the complexity of filing a report, many crimes are not even registered, which boosts the confidence of the criminals. There should be justice for the victim and strict action should be taken against the criminals as well as the irresponsible policemen,” said Mr. Yadav.
The police have so far arrested five persons, including a minor, in connection with the case. Ayodhya Police registered a case under Sections 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 75 (sexual harassment) and 70(1) (gang rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Published – September 16, 2024 02:15 am IST
