From Our Political Correspondent
Lucknow: The arrest of the three accused in the BHU gang-rape case on Sunday has landed the ruling BJP in jam because of the three accused two are office-bearers of the IT Cell of the saffron party in Varanasi, PM Modi’s constituency.
In the wee hours of November 2, a 22-year-old student of the IIT- BHU was reportedly gang-raped by three motorcycle born criminals who were later identified as Kunal Pandey, Saksham Patel and Anand Chauhan. Kunal Pandey is the coordinator of the IT cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party metropolitan unit, while Saksham Patel is the co-coordinator. Anand Chauhan is the coordinator of the IT cell of Cantt assembly constituency. Saksham Patel was also working as a Peace Officer for Kashi Province President Dilip Singh Patel till a few days ago. Apart from this, Kunal Pandey used to appoint the members of IT cell. Kunal Pandey is also the son-in-law of the BJP councillor of Saraisarjan ward. Kunal Pandey was married to the daughter of Saraisarjan Ward councilor Madan Mohan Tiwari last year. A molestation case is was filed against Anand Chauhan in Bhelupur police station in 2022.
As the police version, on the basis of the woman’s complaint, an FIR was registered under Section 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code at Lanka police station. Subsequently, the charge of gang rape was added to the FIR. The report says that the victim was :waylaid, stripped, and sexually assaulted by three men when she stepped out of her hostel to meet a friend, according to the FIR. The complainant said that the three accused, who were riding a motorcycle, also recorded the assault.”
On the basis of the woman’s complaint, an FIR was registered under Section 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code at Lanka police station. Subsequently, the charge of gang rape was added to the FIR.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday arrested three people and charged them with gang-rape for allegedly sexually assaulting a student inside the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) campus in November. The arrests, which came two months after protests broke out in the institute, triggered a political row, with the Opposition saying that the accused were being shielded as they were linked to the BJP, a charge denied by the ruling party.
Talking the media about the gang-rape incident that happened about 60 days back the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bhelupur, Atul Anjan Tripathi said, “three people have been arrested in the case. They have been identified as Kunal Pandey. Anand aka Abhishek Chauhan, and Saksham Patel.” The Police has also said that the three accused, all in their 20s, were not students of IIT-BHU.
The gang-rape of the IIT-BHU had created commotion within the students community and the University campus was witness to an unprecedented commotion. Rivals of the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress are up in arms against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party ever since the rape was reported on November 2, about two months ago . With the arrest of the three accused and their BJP affiliation has provided a new vigour to the Opposition which never missed any opportunity to corner the ruling party in general and PM Modi in particular. A political observer close to the RSS says “the arrest of the three has given a potent weapon to the Opposition to attack the BJP.” He also cautions that the party “needs to be cautious while inducting new faces into the fold and should be doubly careful while entrusting them with crucial party responsibilities.”
A senior journalist who has been covering the BJP for decades doubts if “there is any dilution in its (BJP’s) ideology and charector. RSS is known for its discipline and decorum. RSS never compromise on quality of its volunteers and it seldom tolerates any such inhuman acts (like rape). It seems the party has moved away from the RSS thoughts and is more concerned on electoral victories.”
Though the BJP reportedly ousted all the accused from the party soon after their arrest, the pertinent question is “why were they not apprehended as soon as the FIR was filed two months ago? Was there any instruction from the “top” to stall the arrests till the elections for the five states were over? Or the party was conspiring to hush up the matter for political gains. This procrastination from the part of the administration has raised many eyebrows. Many now suspect the sincerity of the BJP’s slogans like beti bachao beti padhao, lakhpati didis. After the inaction of the BJP against its sitting MP from UP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who was accused of sexually harassing decorated women wrestlers there is a perception among the neutral observers that the party can protect anyone who could ensure electorally benefit to the party.”
The Congress Party has come out heavily on the gang-rape incident. The party state president Ajay Rai has told the media that Congress workers will gherao Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency office in Varana tomorrow (Tuesday).
Criticising BJP Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister of UP Akhilesh Yadav has posted on X (formerly Twitter).” every woman across the country is seeing how the BJP is playing with women’s dignity and protecting those accused of atrocities,
However the BJP has that the guilty will be duly punished as per the law. “Under the BJP government, even after having an association with the party, a person who has committed a crime will be arrested and get strict punishment,” party spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.