Meerut gang rape case: Mulayam Singh Yadav assures strict action

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today assured that strict action will be taken against the culprits of the Meerut gang rape case where a 20-year-old teacher was allegedly gang raped and forced to convert.

However, criticizing the state government, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Laxmikant Bajpai added, "The government of UP is not working with law and order, there is definitely a communal angle in this incident but the government is not taking it seriously. They are themselves not able to run the state but still blaming BJP for violence."

He added that he will meet the victim's family and see if he can get information about the case.

Senior advocate and women's rights activist Abha Singh, meanwhile, demanded strict punishment not only for the culprits but also for the local police and leaders.

"All those people involved in her religious conversion should be arrested and put behind bars and all involved in the gang rape of this lady should be tried under 376 D which calls for minimum 20 years imprisonment and also life and also the police of that area and local leaders should also be tried under 120 B criminal conspiracy and 34 common intention, because crimes like this cannot happen without political patronage and police connivance," said Singh.

"In India, article 25 gives every citizen the right to practice, profess or propagate any religion. The law does not give them the right to force anyone to convert their religion, it is an offence under 295 A of IPC, a cognizable offence with three years of imprisonment," she added.

Array

A 20-year-old teacher of Hindi and English in the Sarawa village madrasa in Kharkhauda had claimed that she was gang- raped and forced to adopt the religion of a particular community and to change her name.

The woman reportedly managed to escape from the kidnappers on August 2. Afterwards, she contacted her family who rescued her. A complaint was also filed later with the police.