New Delhi: The National Commission for
Scheduled Castes may soon send a team to UP`s Banda district
to get a detailed report on the rape of a minor Dalit girl
allegedly by BSP MLA Purshottam Dwivedi.
The move comes after Lucknow Superintendent of Police
Anil Das sent a preliminary report about the incident to the
NCSC office a few days ago.
"We may soon send a team to Banda for a detailed
report about the alleged incident. Depending on the contents,
we may also recommend his arrest under the Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocity Act)", NCSC chairman
P L Punia said.
He said that in the absence of a national commission
for OBC, the NCSC was empowered to probe atrocities on people
of backward communities as well.
His comment come after the Mayawati government raised
objections to the NCSC taking cognizance of the alleged rape
case and blaming Punia, a former close aide of the UP chief
Minister, for it.
The Commission was of the view that unless such
matters are taken seriously, offenders think they can get away
with the crime.
Meanwhile, the Congress in UP has alleged that despite
the local court directing that an FIR be lodged in this
connection, nothing has been done so far.
The opposition party on Thursday demanded the
suspension of the Banda SP, alleging that an impartial inquiry
by the CB-CID cannot be conducted till he was holding the
post.
The 17-year-old victim was allegedly raped by the BSP
MLA of Nareni in Banda in December last year. After the girl
threatened to file a complaint against him, he levelled
charges of theft against her.
PTI
