BJP creates ruckus in Uttarakhand Assembly over minor’s rape

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday created a ruckus in the Uttarakhand Assembly over the recent rape of a seven-year-old girl and the “inability of the State Government to track down the culprits.”

On Thursday, Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal did not agree to the BJP's request for discussing the rape and murder of a minor girl, under rule 310 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.

The Opposition BJP then shouted slogans in the Assembly against the State Government saying it was incapable of handling crime in the State.

The body of the minor who was missing from Nainital district’s Haldwani area since November 20, was recovered from a forest area in Haldwani five days after she was reported missing. The minor’s post-mortem report suggested that she was raped, Additional Director-General of Police (law and order) Ram Singh Meena said.

 

“Post-mortem report of the minor suggests that she was raped. The minor died as a result of shock and haemorrhage caused by the incident,” he said.

 

The victim, who was from Pithoragarh, was in Haldwani along with her on November 20 to attend a wedding when the incident happened. “The body of the victim was cremated [on Thursday]. Investigations to track down the culprits are going on,” Deputy Inspector-General of Police of Kumaon Range G.S. Martolia said.

 

On Thursday, several demonstrations and protest marches were carried out against the incident across the State including Haldwani, Pithoragarh, Champawat, and Almora.

 

Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Ajay Bhatt said, “The State Government had miserably failed in combating deteriorating law and order situation. It is a shame that the culprits have not been arrested yet.”

 

However, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said the Government had constituted several police teams that were searching for the culprits. Mr. Rawat said the Government would soon bring in police reforms and jail reforms to be able to combat the deteriorating law and order situation.