Six days after the alleged rape of a differently abled minor girl in Rajasthan’s Alwar town, the police were still clueless about the absconding culprits, while the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party workers on Monday staged demonstrations at sub-divisions in all districts of the State to protest against the incident.
The 15-year-old mentally challenged girl, who is unable to speak properly, was found in a distressed condition on a bridge in Alwar with injuries on her private parts on Tuesday last week. She was shifted from a hospital in Alwar to Sir Padampat Mother and Child Hospital in Jaipur, where she underwent a two-and-a-half-hour long surgery.
The Congress government in the State, which has since decided to recommend a CBI probe into the case, was caught on the wrong foot following conflicting claims of the police on the incident, based on the medical opinion. Alwar Superintendent of Police Tejaswini Gautam said on Friday that though the investigation was going on, the medical reports did not suggest that the girl was raped.
The victim received deep injuries which were apparently caused by a sharp object, but her sexual organs were intact, according to the surgeons who operated upon her. The police said they had got CCTV footages of the girl’s journey to the bridge, but the incident on the bridge was under investigation.
The BJP took exception to the stand of the police and raised the issue at the national level, besides dragging Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into the controversy, as she was in Ranthambhore National Park on a personal visit. The BJP leaders from Jaipur staged a dharna outside the sanctuary and courted arrest, while asking Ms. Vadra to go back.
After the BJP’s protest, the Alwar police changed their stand and said the investigation was in progress on different grounds, with each angle being explored. Nothing had been concluded as yet, according to the police.
On Monday, BJP State president Satish Poonia said while the Congress government’s decision to hand over the probe to the CBI was the Opposition party’s “moral victory”, it was doubtful if the government would cooperate with the premier investigating agency. “Their role is questionable. They are repeatedly changing their statements and the criminals are at large because of weak investigation,” he said.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has accused the BJP of indulging in “malicious publicity” for the sake of politics over the incident. “They are least bothered about the agony the family members are undergoing due to such malicious campaign. This attitude is condemnable,” Mr. Gehlot tweeted.
The Chief Minister affirmed that the police were conducting a free and fair investigation and the State government’s intentions were very clear. “There should be [an] independent and impartial investigation and the truth should prevail,” he said.
