A video of a BJP leader from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh criticizing the integrity of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly gang-raped in Hathras and later died in a Delhi hospital is similar to throwing salt at the wounds of the aggrieved family . .
Ranjeet Srivastava, 67, former president of Nawabganj Nagar Palika (municipality), denied that there had been a rape and asked why “those women” are only found in the millet fields. The Dalit woman was reportedly raped when she went to gather fodder with her mother in the fields.
“I think that usually in those situations where girls are in the millet fields, they usually have an affair. This girl must have called her boyfriend to the field, ”Srivastava is heard and seen saying it in the video, which has since gone viral on social media. The BJP has so far maintained a studied silence on its remarks.
“Yes, the video you are talking about is actually mine. Several other videos of mine are being published on various news channels, ”he said.
Srivastava, father of three children, one of whom is a member of the UP BJP youth wing, was asked about the reference to ‘aisi ladkiyan bajre ke khet main hi kyun paayi jaati hai (why are these girls found only in the fields of millet) ‘, Srivastava said, “I have not talked about all girls as many believe. I just said, ‘iss tarah ki ladkiyan’ (those girls), ‘”he said.
When asked what she meant by “iss tarah ki ladkiyan”, she said, “jis tarah ki wo ladki you (the kind of girl she was)”, before giving an elaborate and laborious explanation of her “understanding” of the situation. that maintained was largely driven by ‘social media’.
When asked further if it is okay to take social media seriously in such a barbaric incident, she said: “I also made a statement on social media. So why do you give it so much importance? ”
“See the point I’m making is that you have to rely on circumstantial evidence, where there is no evidence. So, I’m asking, based on what has been reported, both in local newspapers and on social media, what was this girl doing (referring to the victim) in the millet fields? Because the initial reports suggested that she had gone with her mother to cut grass, but the millet fields do not have grass. But, assuming there was grass in the millet field she had gone to, remember that the millet fields are not very dense. If she had sensed danger, she should have raised the alarm, rather than surrender. And if whatever act she was supposedly subjected to against her will, then there must be some sign of struggle, which is clearly not the case. ”
Among these observations, he went on to say, “khair ab to jaanch ho hi rahi hai … (now, anyway, there is an ongoing investigation).” A special investigation team has been set up to probe the incident, the deadline to present its report was extended by another 10 days today. A CBI investigation has been recommended in the case.
“Didn’t the FIR initially mention the rape? Why? Let me explain this to you. That’s because if the violation had been mentioned in the FIR, then your medical examination would have been necessary. So whatever happened to the medical exam was primarily to check for physical assault, not rape. The part of the violation arose in the FIR hosted by a congressional leader, eight days after the incident, ”he said.
The BJP leader also refused to agree to the victim’s dying statement. “I don’t think his statement about the rape before his death can be taken as a statement at death simply because a statement has to be made upon death before the magistrate, which I don’t think has been done, so what can you ,” he said.
“All of this is planned, it is part of the opposition’s game plan to discredit our party’s government,” he said.
Yogi Adityanath’s government is fighting severe criticism for its handling of the case, particularly after local police burned the woman’s body overnight without the family’s approval. However, officials said the cremation was carried out “according to the wishes of the family.”
Citing a report by the FSL, the government has denied the rape charge and claimed that some people were trying to foment caste tensions after the incident. Four men from the so-called “upper caste” have been arrested in the incident.
Facing a beating of its image, the Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it wanted a supreme court-supervised CBI investigation into the Hathras episode, which the SC described as “horrific”.
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