The Unnao Superintendent of Police spoke to India Today and asserted that Unnao had registered 51 cases of rape in the past one year and not 90 as claimed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Unnao SP Vikrant Vir told India Today, “51 cases of rape have been registered from January 1 till November 30 in the police stations falling under the Unnao district. Sixty-four cases of rape were registered in 2018, 54 in 2017, 37 in 2016 and 39 cases of rape were registered in 2015.”
On Friday, Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said, “Almost 90 cases of rape have been reported from Unnao district this year. Crime against women is on the rise and the government is busy shielding criminals. UP CM should set up a helpline dedicated for women at his office to act swiftly on any complaint that has been filed.”
While horrific rape cases are being reported from across the country, it shows the dishonesty of a political party if it chooses to talk about only one case simply because that state is ruled by an opposition party.
There have been widespread protests in the country after a girl in Unnao was burnt to death allegedly by a rape-accused who had victimised her earlier and was out-on-bail. The Yogi Adityanath government had vowed to ensure justice for the victim with the case being heard in fast track court. The Yogi Adityanath government has also announced Rs 25 lakh compensation for the family of the victim and a house.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had in a statement called the Unnao rape victim’s death extremely saddening and unfortunate, adding that all the accused have been arrested by the police. He assured that the government will take the case to a fast track court ensuring strict punishment for the accused.
The 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with 90 per cent burns after being set on fire, died on Friday night.
After battling for life for almost 40 hours, the woman died following a cardiac arrest at 11.40 pm, hospital sources said.
The victim was attacked on early hours of Thursday by the out-on-bail accused when she along with her family were on their way to a court in Rae Bareli to attend a hearing in the rape case. The five men who attacked them also included the two who were accused of raping the woman in December. Her family had alleged that their relatives have been getting death threats for pursuing this case. “We have faith on the police but if they fail to protect us, we will have to protect ourselves,” the Unnao rape survivor’s brother said.
Prasanta Patnaik