Indian Youth Congress (IYC) members stage a protest against the rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in UP’s Hathras. (Photo: PTI)
The Opposition has hit the highway, on the road to Hathras in Western Uttar Pradesh where a 19-year-old Dalit was allegedly gang-raped and brutalised on September 14. Soon after she succumbed at a Delhi hospital on September 29, UP policemen burnt her body in the dead of the night after allegedly locking the family members in their village house.
The police have cited post-mortem and forensic reports to deny the rape charge but the girl in her dying declaration on September 22 said she was sexually assaulted by four men.
While the battle for Hathras has spilled onto the streets, is the Opposition justified in seeking UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s scalp as cases of rape are being reported across the country?
On his show News Today at 9, on Thursday night, India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai asked some tough questions to all political parties. To a question as to who is accountable for Hathras, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “100% responsibility lies with the UP government. It’s a matter of shame for everyone. All four accused have been arrested. The CM has assured speedy justice for the family.”
But will assurances help? “The government will bring down rape cases in UP. There is a 40% dip in rape cases in UP. But has Priyanka Gandhi tweeted about rape cases in Rajasthan?” Bhatia asked.
So, when Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi try to visit the Hathras victim’s family, is it a photo-op? When asked to respond to the fact that rapes are happening in Rajasthan too, Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said, “It’s about how the governments in Rajasthan and UP are responding to such cases. Rahul Gandhi went to Alwar in Rajasthan when a gang rape took place just before the Lok Sabha elections. He said such cases cannot be tolerated.”
But UP CM Yogi Adityanath is also talking about zero tolerance for rape cases “In the recent Rajasthan case, the charge sheet was filed in 72 hours. In the Hathras case, there was no FIR for seven days. Sections were diluted. The ADGP said no semen was found. So, there was no rape. The definition of rape has changed,” Sushmita Dev said.
When asked if the ADGP should have shown greater sensitivity, Gaurav Bhatia said, “The fact is, there was no FIR for seven days in the Alwar case. The UP government has been very sensitive. The CM has said rape charges will remain and investigation will go on. There was no delay in registering the FIR. The girl has made a dying declaration. As a lawyer, I can say it has great weightage.”
So, why rape cases in BJP-ruled states become a national issue and a political football? Responding to this question, Sushmita Dev said, “It’s the duty of the Opposition to raise such issues and reflect people’s mood. The UP government took 14 days in setting up an SIT. Had Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi not hit the streets today, people would not have forgiven them.”
When asked to respond to the fact such crimes were high also during the Samajwadi Party government in UP, SP spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari said, “The fact is, the decision to burn the body of the Hathras victim was taken by the CM. Minute-by-minute media coverage is a proof of this. Do you think a constable can take such a decision? The PM hasn’t said a word. The CM responded only after a call from the PM. The family didn’t get help when it was needed.”
Reacting to it, Gaurav Bhatia said, “Talking about rape cases, SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav had said that boys make mistakes.” But the BJP was then also asking for Akhilesh Yadav’s resignation “UP will see a golden day when there will be no such crimes,” Gaurav Bhatia said.
When it was pointed out that the Hathras DM has told the victim’s family that it shouldn’t change its statements because the media will come back but the administration will remain there, he said, “I have no hesitation in admitting that the DM wasn’t right. Action will be taken. He cannot make such statements.”
So, why call for the resignation of only the UP CM? Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Dr. Prakash Ambedkar said, “No CM is ready to protect women. Be it UP, Bihar or Maharashtra. The calls for resignation are to sensitise the CMs. You need CMs who are sensitive. You don’t have them. You cannot ignore the RSS ideology of the UP CM.”