UP govt says Balrampur rape case will be heard in fast-track court

The Uttar Pradesh government on October 4 said that the case involving a 22-year-old Dalit woman who died after she was allegedly raped by two men in Balrampur district will be heard in a  fast-track court.

The state government also said the stringent National Security Act (NSA) may be invoked thereafter if found necessary.

"The points raised by the aggrieved family have been taken seriously. The guilty will not be spared," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said.

This comes against the backdrop of a furore over the alleged rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras district of the state. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on October 3 recommended that the case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In the Balrampur case, police have said that both the accused in the incident have been arrested.

Awasthi along with Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar reached Balrampur, and met the aggrieved family at their residence.

Under the NSA, a person can be detained without charge for up to 12 months.

"My daughter had gone to take admission in a college on Tuesday. On her way back, three-four persons abducted her, took her to their room, gave her an injection and raped her. They later sent her back on an e-rickshaw and dumped her outside our house. They broke her legs and back. She could not stand or talk," the victim's mother said.