Badaun rape case: Digvijay Singh slams `disgusting behaviour` of UP Police

A day after the Uttar Pradesh government promised to set up a fast track court to punish the culprits in the gang-rape of two Dalit sisters in Badaun, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh besmirched the state police with his comments.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A day after the Uttar Pradesh government promised to set up a fast-track court to punish the culprits in the gang-rape of two Dalit sisters in Badaun, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday besmirched the state police with his comments. Singh also demanded “most severe punishment” for the policemen who were involved in “abetting this crime”. On microblogging website Twitter, the Congress leader slammed “disgusting behaviour” of the UP Police in Badaun rape case.

Disgusting behaviour of UP Police in Budayun Rape Case. Policemen abetting this crime deserve most severe punishment along with the accused

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) May 31, 2014

In the gruesome incident that came into light on Tuesday, two teenage girls were gang-raped and their bodies hung from a tree in Katra Sadatganj village, Badaun district, Uttar Pradesh. Of the seven wanted in the case, two were policemen. Amidst outrage over the incident, Katra Sadatganj police outpost in-charge Ram Vilas Yadav was suspended and two constables — Sarvesh Yadav and Chhatrapal Yadav — were terminated from services for allegedly not acting soon enough on the complaint of the girls` family. Sarvesh and Chhatrpal have been booked under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. The family of the girls have demanded a CBI probe into the incident, saying they had no faith in local police which was "hand in gloves" with the accused. Even as the case grabbed headlines, another teenage Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped by four persons in Azamgarh. In Delhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by officials on the outrageous incident. Singh was informed that the UP government has sent a report to the Home Ministry, saying some persons involved in the crime have been arrested and all guilty will be punished, according to official sources. The two girls, who were cousins and aged 14 and 15, went missing from their house on the night of May 27 and their bodies were found hanging from a mango tree in the village in Ushait area the next morning. The incident had triggered protests in the area with villagers alleging police apathy, following which an FIR was registered against seven persons. Terming the gang-rape and murder as “unfortunate”, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday ordered the police to arrest all the accused immediately and said a fast-track court be constituted to ensure that they were duly punished. Also, attacking the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati demanded a CBI probe into the gang-rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in Badaun district.