New Delhi: Outraged over the alleged rape and murder of three Dalit minor girls, all below 11 years, in Maharashtra`s Bhandara district, members in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday sought Centre`s intervention to bring the perpetrators of heinous crime to book and a CBI probe into the issue.
Expressing anguish and shock over the incident which occurred barely two months after brutal Delhi gangrape, the members cutting across party lines were also unanimous that the Home Minister should respond to the issue.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Bharatkumar Raut (SS) said his head hung in shame that he lived in a nation which talked about women empowerment but where 12 days after such a ghastly incident, the accused were roaming scot-free.
"Three Dalit sisters were raped and murdered and their bodies thrown in a well," he said, seeking to know "under whose protection the police was not arresting the culprits when the entire village knew them."
Terming the incident as shameful, Rajani Patil (Cong) sought fast-tracking the case and also demanded rehabilitation of another Dalit minor, allegedly raped by her teacher.
Hussain Dalwai (Cong) sought a CBI inquiry into the issue while his party colleague Bhalchandra Mungekar said, "Centre must direct the state government to conduct a CBI inquiry into the issue. I do not have faith in Maharashtra police."
"Where is the conscience of the entire middle class which during Nirbhaya case thronged India Gate and Parliament... Are you dividing rape on caste lines," an agitated Mungekar posed.
He said it was utterly shameful that atrocities against SC/ST were not looked into seriously and as per the National Crime Records Bureau data there were 1,000 rape cases annually and the victims were girls belonging to such communities.
PTI
