BJP steps up heat on Rajasthan government over Alwar gang rape

Continuing its protest over the Alwar gang rape, the Bharatiya Janata Party held a march in Jaipur on Sunday and submitted a memorandum to the governor, alleging that law and order has deteriorated in Rajasthan under the Congress government.

The BJP urged the governor to submit a report to the President on the Congress government’s “inability to curb crimes” in Rajasthan.

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped by five men in front of her husband in Thanagazi area of Alwar on April 26. The couple travelling on a bike were waylaid by the five men who beat up the husband and also made a video of the crime and circulated it on social media. But a case was registered on May 2 as the victim was being threatened by the accused.

State BJP president Madan Lal Saini, who led the protest march, said, “Law and order has worsened in the state. People are misbehaving with women; it has never happened in Rajasthan. The government suppressed the Alwar incident for political benefits. We have urged the governor to submit a report on deteriorating law and order to the President of India.”

Former social justice and empowerment minister Arun Chaturvedi, who participated in the march, said, “The government is sleeping and has proved to be a failure in maintaining law and order; the government should be dismissed.”

In the memorandum, the BJP leaders alleged that since the formation of the Congress government in Rajasthan, criminals are committing crimes without fear and the police department on the directions of the government is taking no action.

“The state government has failed to maintain law and order in the state, and is directly or indirectly involved in protecting the criminals. We urge that a detailed report should be submitted to the President of India about the crime incidents and incapability of the government,” the memorandum stated.

BJP leaders alleged that atrocities against women, especially Dalits, are on the increase. They said the Alwar victim’s complaint was not registered for a few days, as the Congress feared damage to its prospects in Lok Sabha elections. Even the rape of a patient’s mother-in-law by an employee of a community health centre in Alwar was kept under wraps for two days, they said.

“The government took no action on the (Alwar gang rape) incident and cheated people by mere a reshuffle in the administration,” said a BJP leader.

The government removed Alwar superintendent of police Rajiv Pachar and suspended SHO of the Thanagazi police station Sardar Singh while four policemen were taken off active duty.

The BJP attached with the memorandum a list of atrocities against women and Dalits. The opposition party claimed that since December 36 cases of atrocities against Dalits and 46 against women have been registered in Rajasthan.

Congress spokesperson Satyendra Singh Raghav said the BJP is forgetting its five-year tenure. “Whatever happened in Alwar is unfortunate and the chief minister immediately acted on it and even made changes; now a woman can register a complaint at the office of superintendent of police,” he said.

“Deterioration in law and order situation was there in BJP’s tenure, which will be corrected. Under the previous government, criminals were roaming free but now they are jailed. All the accused in the Alwar incident are behind the bars; the police personnel were suspended, sent to police line and the SP is made an APO (awaiting posting order),” Raghav said.

Police have arrested all six accused -- Indra Raj Gurjar, Mahesh Gurjar, Ashok Gurjar, Hansraj Gurjar, Chhote Lal Gurjar and Mukesh Gurjar -- on charges of gang rape and filming the crime.

The BJP recently held protests at the district headquarters over the Alwar gang-rape case and submitted memorandums to collectors, to be forwarded to the governor.

First Published: May 13, 2019 14:10 IST