While the international attention is focused on Badaun, where two sisters were gang-raped and murdered, the Rajasthan government too has come under sharp criticism from Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot for increasing incidents of rapes in the past few days.
In the past couple of days three cases of rapes have come to light in the State, with at least two reported from Jhalawar district, the constituency of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
The Rajasthan police on Monday suspended a constable for inaction in tracing a minor girl who went missing two days before in Jhalawar. The victim was reportedly gang-raped and murdered, and her body was found dumped in the forest the next day. Family members of the 15-year-old married girl from Kholi village went to Bakani police station in the night to lodge a missing complaint, but were sent back by head constable Ram Kumar, who refused to register a complaint and asked them to fetch a photograph of the girl.
“The SHO was not in the police station as he was busy with some victory celebrations to be organised in the honour of Dushyant Singh, the Chief Minister’s son who is the Member of Parliament from here,” Mr. Pilot told The Hindu .
In Jhalawar, he told reporters: “It is unfortunate that women are not safe in Rajasthan where the Chief Minister is a woman and she also holds the charge of Home Ministry. It is easy to make a noise when such things happen elsewhere, same yardstick should be applied in Rajasthan as well.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Raje has asked the DGP to ensure that there is no dereliction in rape cases and that such cases be given top priority. The Chief Minister has also directed the police to request the court for trial in a time-bound manner so that the victim gets justice.
“Giving compensation is not the solution. The government is trying to hush-up such cases by announcing monetary relief. There is no accountability here,” Mr. Pilot said after visiting a 5-year-old girl victim of sexual assault at theDistrict Hospital. The young survivor was raped, reportedly by her neighbor on Saturday night in Narayanpura village while she was asleep. The accused, Hemraj Kanjar, has been arrested under Section 376 (rape) of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
In another case, a 15-year-old Dalit girl was raped in her house in Ladli ka baas village in Dausa district on Sunday. Kanaram Meena (26) reportedly raped the girl when she was alone in her house. The rape survivor, who is said to be mentally challenged, is admitted to a hospital and the accused arrested.
