A three-member BJP delegation met the 12-year-old rape survivor and her family on Sunday and strongly pleaded for enhancing the compensation amount from the present Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
Rajya Sabha MP Sangeeta Balwant Bind said that she was outraged to know about the plight of the girl after the delegation was told that the accused had previous records of such offences. The team members sat down and discussed the whole incident with the girl's family at their residence to know more about it.
The delegation comprised Rajya Sabha MP Baburam Nishad and Uttar Pradesh Minister of State, Independent Charge, Backward Class Welfare Narendra Kashyap. A report would be submitted to K Laxman, national president of the BJP's OBC Morcha, Nishad told reporters here later after the meeting.
BJP leaders, including Adityanath, have tried to link Moid Khan with the Samajwadi Party, claiming that he was part of the team of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad.
Bind told PTI that the delegation was left teary-eyed by the girl's mother, who recounted details of the crime and how the SP's support of the accused increased their anger. She also said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is standing with the survivor like his daughter.
The rape survivor's father has expired and her mother, a laborer looks after her three daughters and a son. Bind further disclosed that the SP's city unit president was complicit in committing the crime and had earlier been involved in such activities too. People from the village corroborated this and added that the SP's city unit president was earlier involved in such offenses also.
The BJP delegation has requested Chief Minister Adityanath to hike the state government's financial assistance to the survivor's family from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, Nishad informed PTI. The Rs 5 lakh aid was announced by Adityanath and it was handed over to the family by Bikapur MLA Amit Singh Chauhan on Saturday.
Nishad said that the delegation held a detailed discussion with the mother of the survivor and others to elicit more information about the case. He assured the house that necessary action was being taken by the government, and investigation into the matter would be proper.
He described the survivor as an 'innocent girl' who is in a critical condition and that the doctors are doing their best for her. Nishad suggested that if the medical team finds it necessary, the girl should be shifted to a better facility in Lucknow or Delhi.
He assured the family that the government is committed to ensuring justice and would provide security to the family to alleviate their fears. The State Minister criticized the SP for their perceived indifference and political maneuvering on the crime.
Nishad flayed SP leaders for their lack of empathy and support to the survivor where in particular, Akhilesh Yadav focused on DNA testing instead of the sufferings of survivors.
The police took into custody a bakery owner from Bhadarsa Nagar, Ayodhya, Moid Khan, and his employee Raju Khan on July 30 for allegedly raping the girl two months ago and making a video of the assault. It was after the medical examination confirmed the pregnancy of the girl that this heinous crime came to light.
Addressing the UP Assembly, Chief Minister Adityanath said, "That Moid Khan belongs to SP and why no action was taken against him are questions of serious concern." Last week, Ayodhya district administration had demolished Khan's "illegal" bakery.
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