A war of words has erupted between the Congress and the ruling BJP after the video of a women being raped on the footpath in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district was captured on Wednesday.
Taking a jab at the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s constituency, the opposition party trained its guns over the ‘deteriorating law and order’ in the state.
As per the details given by the Police, the woman was raped on a footpath in Koyla Phatak, one of the busiest intersections in Ujjain, on Wednesday. The incident was reportedly shot by the passersby but nobody stopped the crime.
Om Prakash Mishra, City Superintendent of Police (CSP), Ujjain, said, “Yesterday (Thursday) at around 3.30 pm, a woman came to the police station and reported that she had been raped. Immediately a woman officer was called, her story was heard and an FIR was registered after informing senior officers.”
As per the statement of the Police, the woman in her complaint named Lokesh as the accused. “Immediately a team was formed and sent in search of Lokesh and yesterday (Thursday) itself within two hours of the FIR being registered, we arrested Lokesh. The accused was brought to the police station and questioned, during which Lokesh admitted to committing the crime,” Mishra said.
The woman was medically examined and Lokesh was presented before the court, which sent the accused to judicial custody.
“Apart from this, the statement of the woman was also recorded before the court today (Friday). The woman has confirmed the incident of rape before the court… A video of this incident was made which also came to the police, we have taken it as evidence,” Mishra said.
The police have alleged that the accused “promised to marry the victim, made her drink liquor, and then raped her on Wednesday.”
Political Reaction
Highlighting Congress president Jitu Patwari said that while the BJP was protesting across the country over the RG Kar rape-murder case, a woman was raped on a footpath in the CM’s consistency in Madhya Pradesh
“The BJP is protesting across the country against the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder incident… In Madhya Pradesh, 18 women were raped or face some form of harassment every day. Boundaries were crossed when in the chief minister’s own constituency, a woman was raped on the footpath… Why is MP CM Mohan Yadav, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and PM Modi silent? There is a jungle raj (lawlessness) in Madhya Pradesh,” Patwari said.
BJP Madhya Pradesh president V D Sharma said the Congress was politicising the incident.
“The Congress has no issues to corner the Madhya Pradesh government and that’s why they try to give such a colour to the incident… The BJP government is the first government to introduce a law to give the death penalty to the perpetrators of these kinds of incidents… The accused has been arrested and the state government will ensure that strict action is taken against them,” he said.
