‘Victim’ of the Meerut gang rape alleged that a BJP member named Vineet Agarwal had offered Rs 25,000 on August 7 to her family, a few days after the incident became public, and assured them help with more money in future.
The gang rape and forced conversion in Meerut made a dramatic U-turn when the victim retracted from her earlier statement; a case of assault and threat to murder was registered against the girl’s parents on Tuesday.
“Hindu outfits helped us with money because our financial condition was weak. This matter should not be politicized,” stated the girl’s father when asked.
Vineet Agarwal said he gave the family Rs 25,000 only with the intention to help them as they were poverty-stricken.
“When the case came to light, I went to the girl’s house. Because her family was poor, I helped them monetarily on humanitarian grounds,” he said. “My help should not be linked with politics. Had she been of any other religion, I would have helped just the same.”
The woman, in her official complaint alleges that her family started planning to kill her once the money from the BJP leader stopped coming and the security at the house was provided from August 3 was removed on Saturday.
The woman approached police when the security cover was removed the following day.
MM Baig, SP (rural), said, “A chargesheet has already been filed in the case on August 3, and 10 people are under arrest. If the girl does not retract her latest statement, the case will witness a U-turn.”
The girl’s father denied the charges and claimed that Muslim groups were “putting pressure” on his daughter to change her statement and demanded a CBI query into the matter.
He said “She has been living with us for the last two-and-a-half months. If we had to kill her, why would we wait so long?”