Ruckus in Rajya Sabha over Bulandshahr incident

The gang-rape in Bulandshahr and other atrocities against women were raised in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, creating a brief ruckus as several members demanded a discussion on the matter.

The issue was raised by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in the upper house, who accused the government of remaining silent on the issue.

"Atrocities against women crossed all limits in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. Women are being raped... What is government doing," Mayawati said.

"We must rise above party politics on such issues. In Bareilly, a teacher was kidnapped. The incident of Bulanshahr is brutal," she said.

"Why is the government quite on the issue?"

Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan also said there should be no politics on the issue of women, and added there should be a discussion on it.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi called the incident "barbaric".

"Such barbaric incidents can never be justified. We expect the state government to take action," he said.

Congress leader Ambika Soni, meanwhile, said it was not the parliament members, but ministers of the Uttar Pradesh government who are playing politics on the issue.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal then said that the state government has taken action following the Bulandshahr incident.

"We are all concerned about the issue. The Uttar Pradesh government has taken action which has been appreciated," the SP leader said.

A woman and her daughter were gang-raped in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh last week after their car was stopped on highway by robbers.

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Azam Khan later said the incident might be a conspiracy, drawing flak from several quarters.

In another incident, a 19-year-old schoolteacher was allegedly gang-raped by three men in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly on Tuesday.

--IANS

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