Mayawati claims Congress delayed probe in Alwar gang-rape case
In Rajasthan's Alwar, a Dalit woman was gang-raped, her husband beaten up, the act filmed and subsequently shared on social media. The shameful incident happened on April 26 but for days, according to reports, police didn't take any action. The reason for laxity? Lok Sabha polls. As this piece of information got attention, BSP Chief Mayawati slammed the state's Congress government. Here's more.
Congress threatened victim's family to stay quiet: Mayawati
In her blitzkrieg on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's governance, Mayawati said, "The Congress government suppressed this incident till the end of the election in Rajasthan to preserve their political benefits and threatened the family of the victim to keep quiet about it." Notably, Rajasthan voted on April 29 and May 6. Mayawati said the case should be transferred to Supreme Court.
Mayawati demanded capital punishment for the guilty
"The guilty in Alwar gang-rape case should be hanged till death. Supreme Court should take action against the Congress government, police and the administration in the state. This matter is not just related to Dalits but all women," Mayawati said on Saturday.
Did the police deliberately delay taking action? Reportedly, yes
Four days after the horrific crime, the survivor's family approached the police. After the complaint was filed, it took police seven days to arrest the first accused. During that time, the accused called the victim's husband demanding Rs. 10,000 for deleting the video of the rape. One of the accused even uploaded the video which went viral on social media.
Ignoring laws, police didn't file an FIR
According to IE, the police even told the complainant to wait till polling in the area got over. The officers disregarded law which underlines that in cases of sexual abuse and especially involving Dalits, the FIR should be registered immediately. In fact, police didn't file the FIR till May 1, the victim's brother-in-law revealed. Instead, they kept her husband in the station for the night.
While victim's family suffered, the accused enjoyed themselves
"For the next two days, we told police whenever we heard that the accused were nearby but they took no action. They told us to wait until the elections got over," said victim's father. As her family went from pillar to post, the accused "partied".
There was an inordinate delay in filing FIR, conducting tests
The FIR was finally lodged on May 2 and the medical tests were conducted on May 2-3. However, the statements weren't recorded. Around the same time, one of the accused released the video on social media. The first arrest happened on May 7, exactly a day after polls ended. However, MLA of Thanagazi, where the incident happened, denied allegations of a cover-up.
MLA claimed he helped the victim's family
"They came to me on April 30 and told me that their FIR couldn't be lodged. I took them to the SP's office who directed the SHO to take action in the matter...The SHO even tried for two days but it was election time," said Thanagazi MLA Kanti Prasad Meena.
