Bulandshahr: Fifteen people were detained and the main accused identified, as police launched a massive manhunt for the bandits who brutally gangraped a woman and her teenager daughter after dragging them out of their car at Bulandshahr bypass on Delhi-Kanpur National Highway.
The incident which occurred on Friday night when the family from Noida was from travelling on NH-91 sparked outrage in the country with opposition parties today attacking the Akhilesh Yadav government, alleging that “goonda raj” was at its peak in Uttar Pradesh and governance had collapsed.
Facing flak, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav gave “24 hours time” to SSP Bulandshar to crack the case while directing disciplinary action against policemen of the area.
He also directed Principal Secretary, Home, Debashish Panda and DGP Javeed Ahmad to monitor the case, an official spokesman said, adding the CM has asked officials to initiate “stern action against the guilty so that no one could dare to do such an act in future”.
SSP Bulandshahr Vaibhav Krishna said that 15 Special Task Force teams have been pressed into action and were carrying out searches in Bulandshahr, Meerut and other districts and also states to nab the accused.
“15 suspects have been detained. Main accused has been identified. He belongs to nomadic tribe involved in criminal activities. Special teams have been formed to crack the case,” he said.
The suspects are being interrogated in connection with the incident that took place on Friday night when the family was travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur by car. A group of bandits waylaid the family, dragged the woman her 13-year-old girl daughter to a nearby field and raped them while the men were tied with ropes.
They also looted cash, jewellery and mobile phones. One of the family members, who later managed to escape, reported the matter to police.
SHO Ramsen of Kotwali Dehat was relieved from charge of the case and taken off active duty after police reported his negligence in the matter, the SSP said.
Taking cognisance of the case, the National Commission for Women said it has sent a member to meet the victims and officials in Uttar Pradesh but added that it finds little cooperation from the state administration in such cases.
BSP, BJP and Congress targeted the Samajwadi Party government in the poll-bound state and demanded that it step down.
Hitting out at the Akhilesh Yadav government, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said, “When will this end? It shows that the state government has collapsed on every front. They cannot save the honour of a daughter. It is shameful and they should step down”.
BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria questioned the law and order situation in the state. “It is shameful that the UP government did not act fast enough to protect the dignity of women and common citizens.
“The complete lawlessness in UP proves the point that ‘goona raj’ under Akhilesh Yadav has reached its peak. Mothers, daughters… Nobody is safe in UP,” he said.
“The SP government and its head must tell the people
if they can return the modesty of women in such a painful and heinous crime,” BSP supremo Mayawati said.
She alleged that there was complete ‘jungle-raj’ in the state and criminal elements were roaming freely.
Describing the incident as “chilling”, “barbaric” and one that has “shocked human conscience”, Congress said the state government must take decisive action in the matter.
“The gang rape incident in heart-rending, it’s shocking. It has shocked human conscience.
“What is the Samajwadi party and Akhilesh government going to do about it? Please, for heaven’s sake, take decisive action and punish the perpetrators of the ghastly crime at the earliest,” Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said.
The official spokesman of Uutar Pradesh government said in Lucknow that Panda and the DGP “will oversee the search operations right from Ground Zero. The CM has instructed both these officers to reach Bulandshahr. They will monitor the search operations of the special teams.”
“The CM has directed officials to initiate stern action against the guilty so that no one could dare to do such act in future. DGP has also been directed to ensure that recurrence of such incidents could not take place in future,” the spokesman said.
The case should be pursued in court in such a manner that guilty should get due punishment, the CM was quoted as saying.
The DGP tweeted: “Horrible Bulandshr incident a challenge. Going all out to nab the culprits. All resources being deployed.
PTI