Rahul slams UP govt over custodial death of rape complainant's father

Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh today over the death of the father of an alleged gang-rape rape victim, after he was taken into custody by the state police, while an MLA of the ruling party, who had been accused of the rape, was still roaming free.

He also took a dig at the BJP's "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" slogan in support of the girl child.

Save the girl, get yourself killed. A young girl accuses a BJP MLA of rape. The police, instead of arresting the MLA, take the girl's father into custody. Immediately after that he dies in police custody.

Meanwhile, the accused MLA is still moving around freely, the Congress president tweeted in Hindi.

He also shared the link of a news article that stated that the father of the alleged rape victim, who had attempted self-immolation outside Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's official residence yesterday, died in police custody.

Earlier, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala had also termed the incident gruesome and barbaric and alleged that a "goonda raj" prevailed in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.

Gruesome & barbaric! Humanity gets shamed as the rape victim attempts suicide & her father is beaten & dies in police custody. Instead of arresting criminals, victims are arrested by U.P BJP Govt. Goonda Raj' prevails in U.P, justice held to ransom as BJP leaders run a-mock (sic), he had tweeted.

The father of the 18-year-old woman, who had alleged rape by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brothers, died in custody at Unnao in Uttar Pradesh today.

Sengar, the MLA from Bangermau in Unnao district, rejected the charge and alleged a conspiracy by his political opponents to tarnish his image.