As outrage over the alleged gangrape of a 50-year-old woman in Badaun grows, the district magistrate has said the administration would try to charge the accused under stringent provisions of the National Security Act (NSA).
Badaun District Magistrate Prashant Kumar told news agency ANI that two people have been arrested in the case and a team has been constituted to look into the arrest of the other accused person. “We believe this incident is fit to be presented to the NSA for a probe and we will do that,” he said
According to police, the 50-year-old woman, who was an anganwadi worker, was gangraped and murdered when she had gone to a temple on Sunday evening. The incident was reported from the Ughaiti police station area in Badaun district.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) took cognisance of the matter and said it will meet the woman’s family. The commission also sought immediate intervention of the UP police in the matter.
The family of the deceased has alleged police apathy for the delay caused in filing the FIR in the case. The Commission, in a statement, said it is deeply perturbed by the reported incident and the alleged police apathy.
NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, seeking immediate intervention in the matter. The Commission has also sought a detailed action taken report in the matter from the police.
Badaun’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sankalp Sharma said two of the accused were arrested on Tuesday, while the priest is on the run and the station house officer of Ughaiti police station has been suspended for laxity in the case.
“On Sunday, the 50-year-old woman, who had gone to a temple, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Family members of the woman have accused the temple priest, Satyanayaran, and his aides of raping and murdering her. Based on this, a case was registered against the accused.
Two of the accused persons were arrested on Tuesday night, while the priest is still absconding,” Sharma said. The post-mortem report confirms rape, and there are injuries in the victim’s private parts and a fracture in the leg, he said. Four teams have been formed to track Satyanarayan.
The state police have drawn criticism over the incident with Ranjana Kumari, the director of Centre for Social Research, asking the authorities to take responsibility of the incident.
“First thing the UP police does is dismissing any case as a minor one. It will not file the FIR. The state administration must take responsibility for this issue,” Kumari was quoted as saying to NDTV.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed authorities to take the strongest legal action against the accused and instructed ADG Zone, Bareilly to submit a report. The chief minister also instructed the UP special task force to assist in the investigation.
Opposition parties hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government on the issue. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi raised the question on the intention of the government and tweeted. “The government people in Hathras did not listen to the complaint in the beginning, the government saved the officers and suppressed the voice. The police station in Badaun did not listen to the complainant, did not even visit the scene of the incident. The UP government’s intent on women’s safety is flawed. The gruesome incident is shocking.”
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, “The gruesome incident reported from Badaun where a post mortem report suggests gruesome cruelty is shocking. BJP government should not try to save the culprits and should ensure justice for the deceased and her family.” The BSP Supremo Mayawati also tweeted on the incident and wrote, “The incident of gang-rape and murder of a woman in Badaun is very sad and extremely condemnable. The state government should take this incident seriously and also ensure strict punishment to the culprits so that such incident does not recur, this is the demand of BSP.”
The family of the woman have alleged the police did not reach the spot where the crime was committed, and that the body was only sent for post-mortem 18 hours after the incident on Monday.
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