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Facing severe flak over the delay in taking action against his party MLA who has been accused in the Unnao rape case, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today said his government had not deviated from its zero-tolerance policy on crime and that it would firmly deal with criminals, no matter how influential they might be.
Adityanath’s remarks came amidst criticism by political parties and a public outcry, demanding the arrest of the legislator of Bangarmau in Unnao district. The Allahabad High Court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today to arrest MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the accused in the alleged rape case of a minor girl last year.
“As soon as the matter came to the notice of the government on April 9, we immediately constituted an SIT (Special Investigation Team) and initiated action in the matter…The policemen and doctors found guilty in the SIT report were suspended,” the CM told reporters in Chitrakoot.
“We have referred the matter to the CBI…Our government will not compromise on the zero-tolerance policy it has followed against crime and corruption since the beginning. We will firmly deal with criminals, however influential they might be,” Adityanath said.
Senior state minister and spokesperson of the UP government, Siddharth Nath Singh, said the law will take its own course and lashed out at the opposition for “shedding crocodile tears” on the issue of safety of women.
The process of recommending a CBI inquiry was promptly completed, the central probe agency had already taken over the case and detained the accused MLA for questioning, he pointed out.
On the opposition parties accusing the UP government for “delaying the MLA’s arrest”, Singh alleged that former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had “shielded rape-accused minister” Gayatri Prajapati.
He also referred to Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav’s remarks that “should a rape accused be punished with hanging? Boys are boys, they make mistakes”.
Singh also said, “Those who are raising a hue and cry are shedding crocodile tears for women…Those who held a candlelight march last night should remember that the ‘tandoor case’ had taken place during their government and what all were done by their men.”
He was referring to Congress President Rahul Gandhi taking part in a candlelight vigil in New Delhi last night to protest the growing incidents of violence against women.
The infamous “tandoor case” involved former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma, who is serving a life term for the murder of his wife, Naina Sahni, in which the body of the victim was disposed of by putting it in the tandoor of a restaurant in the national capital in 1995.
nb–pti
