Allahabad HC orders CBI probe into Bulandshahr gangrape

The Allahabad High Court (HC) on Friday ordered a CBI probe into the gangrape of a woman and her teenage daughter on a highway passing through Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district on July 29.

A bench of Chief Justice D.B. Bhonsle and Justice Yashwant Verma had taken suo motto cognisance of the case and sought a report from the state police on the action taken in the matter.

The high court double bench asked the police to furnish before the court the statements of the victims from the case diary, and asked the Senior Superintendent of Police Bulandshahr as to why medical examination of the victims was not conducted.

It ordered the police investigating team to take the accused on remand for interrogation.

The high court directed the state government to take action against police officials who are callous in the discharge of their duties and have failed in containing crimes against women.

The court on Thursday had observed that women were not safe in the state, and that crimes against women were on the rise.

The court fixed August 17 as the next date for hearing.

After initially dragging its feet in the matter, the state government had suspended seven policemen, including the SSP of Bulandshahr, following a nationwide outcry over the incident.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had earlier this week said that he was not averse to recommending a CBI probe if the family wished so. He had, however, accused the opposition parties of trying to politicise the issue.

A 34-year-old woman and her teenage daughter were raped after their car carrying six members of the Noida family was stopped by criminals on National Highway-91 in Bulandshahr on July 29.

The family was going to meet their relatives in Shahjahanpur in western Uttar Pradesh. The victims also alleged that the police did not pay attention to their complaints initially.

--IANS

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