Opposition attacks CM as politics hots up over MP gang rape

The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the gang-rape of a 19-year-old girl in the state capital and subsequent delay in filing of an FIR on this.

Raising questions over the law and order situation in the state as well as the relevance of "women empowerment" under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule in the state, the party leaders wondered how campaigns like "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" would succeed in Madhya Pradesh.

Pointing out that it took two days to lodge the FIR, they said the role of police was at best "callous" and "irresponsible", and demonstrated at the local Habibganj Police Station, under whose area the incident reportedly took place.

Victim Puja (not real name), whose parents are police personnel themselves and posted in another city, was returning from coaching classes late on Tuesday evening when she was accosted by four inebriated persons near the Habibganj Railway Station and raped her.

Two police stations, however, kept dilly-dallying over registering of the FIR, saying the place of occurrence did not fall within their area. Finally, they registered the case two days after the incident. Two of the accused have been arrested, and a Sub Inspector of Police, Tekram, suspended over the delay in lodging of the FIR.

In a sarcastic remark, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in state assembly Ajay Singh said: "Our Chief Minister claims that Madhya Pradesh is ahead of even America when it comes to women empowerment. But the claim stands exposed in the state capital only."

A policeman's daughter was gang-raped in capital Bhopal and the victim had to keep running between MP Nagar and Habibganj police stations to lodge the FIR, he added.

In a statement, state Secretary of the Communist Party of India Badal Saroj said: "When the Chief Minister and ministers are busy watching mega events that cost crores, daughter of a police couple is raped between two police stations in the state capital and it takes her two days to lodge a complaint. It's shameful."

--IANS

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