Not the helmsmen in Delhi and Lucknow but the people across India are hanging their heads in shame on no less important a day than Gandhi Jyanti over the government’s response to the public uproar against the gang rape and murder of a twenty year old girl in Hathras area of Utter Pradesh the most populous state of the country also ruled by BJP under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The highly objectionable physical assault on the opposition leaders by the people in uniform merely for insisting their demand for meeting the victim’s family at Hathras is in itself an insult to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claims over several girl child welfare schemes including “ Beti Bachao, Beti Pado” means “ protect daughter, educate daughter”. The people of the country in general and those of Utter Pradesh in particular reserve the right to ask the Prime Minister that if a twenty year old girl is not safe in the most populous state of the country ruled by his own party , what can be the fate of millions of girls pursuing education in schools, colleges and universities and how come the words of Prime Minister on implementation of girl child welfare schemes like “Beti Bachao, Beti Pado” can be believed by over one billion population of the country. The government’s argument that opposition leaders are denied permission to meet the victim’s family in Hathras merely due to covid spread threat in Utter Pradesh is an indefensible defence as the government could have allowed the opposition leaders to meet the victim’s family at Hathras in groups by advising them to strictly follow the COVID-19 health protocol. Interestingly BJP controlled and commanded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even opposed the police investigation in the case of a rape and murder of an eight year old girl of Kathua district of Jammu & Kashmir almost three years ago, but the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti did not concede the highly objectionable demand of BJP to transfer the investigation of the case from Jammu & Kashmir Police to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Attempt to foil the protests against the rape and murder of a twenty year old girl in the heart of Delhi the capital city of 1.25 billion people and biggest democracy of the world is virtually an attempt to deny justice to the family of the Hathras victim.
Indefensible defence of both the UP government headed by Yogi Adityanath and as well the central government commanded and controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Hathras gang rape and murder case on no less important a national day than the Gandhi Jyanti would surely shake the faith of the people of the country in the working of justice delivery system in the country. Attempt to foil the protests against the rape and murder of a twenty year old girl in the heart of Delhi the capital city of 1.25 billion people and biggest democracy of the world is virtually an attempt to deny justice to the family of the Hathras victim.
