Congress accuses BJP govt in UP of shielding Hathras gang-rapists

NEW DELHI, December 17: Congress today accused Uttar Pradesh's BJP government of shielding the culprits of the Hathras gang rape and murder case. Congress said the government has also reneged on its commitments made to the victim’s family.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, President of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), Alka Lamba, said that over the last four years, the victim’s family had been living like prisoners due to the deployment of CRPF at their house, and they were also not allowed to go out without permission.

She said the UP government had promised adequate compensation along with a government job to one of the family members of the victim. Besides, she added, the government had promised to relocate the family from the current place.

Lamba emphasized that even after the passage of four years, none of these commitments had been fulfilled.

She pointed out that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had met the family and raised the matter in Parliament. He had said that if the UP government did not relocate the family, the Congress party and the INDIA bloc would do so.

Criticizing the BJP governments, Lamba remarked that this was neither the first nor an isolated incident of the ruling party protecting those involved in cases of atrocities against women. She cited the case of a student at Banaras Hindu University who was raped by members of the BJP IT cell but has been granted bail and reminded how they as well as the rapists of Bilkis Bano were garlanded and honoured by BJP members after their release from prison.