Condemning Union Minister and BJP leader Uma Bharti’s speech at an Agra rally, women activists across the nation said it is a criminal offence and a suo moto criminal case should be filed against her.

Rapists should be tortured “till their skin comes off”, Bharti has said yesterday, accusing the SP government in UP of failing to provide justice to the victims of the Bulandshahr gangrape case. She claimed that during her tenure as Madhya Pradesh CM, when a rape incident happened, “I also told the woman to watch the rapist being tortured”.

“The persons who commit such crimes must be hung upside down in front of the victims and must be thrashed till their skin comes off. Salt and chilly must be rubbed on their wounds to make them suffer till they beg for their lives.

“In my tenure as Chief Minister, when a rape like this had happened, I got this done. Police officials told me it was a violation of human rights. I replied that these danavs (demons) do not have human rights. I also told the woman to watch the rapist being tortured through a lock-up window so that she could get some peace after listening to his screams and cries for help,” the BJP leader said. Condemning the speech, activist Ruby Mukherjee said: “Our Constitution doesn’t permit those kinds of punishment. So, if she has done it with the help of police officers, a criminal case must be opened against them as they have committed a crime.”

Annie Raja, another activist, said it is very unfortunate that a Central minister like Bharti is saying something to this effect.

“It is very shameful if a woman goes through such a heinous act, but if a Minister herself is suggesting taking the law in your own hand, it is disrespect towards the Constitution. There are certain rules and regulations to be followed,” she said