Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said the Uttar Pradesh government's "mysterious silence" on the allegations of intimidation levelled against the Hathras District Magistrate by the family of the rape victim was "sad and worrisome."
Though the government has agreed to a CBI probe, how can an impartial probe be conducted with the DM still posted there, asked the BSP chief.
The family of the victim had levelled many serious allegations of intimidation against the DM, Ms. Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.
"UP government's mysterious silence is sad and worrisome," she said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who visited the home of the family along with her brother Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, also targeted the Hathras DM Praveen Kumar Laxkar and asked who was protecting him. She demanded that the DM be immediately removed and his role in the episode be investigated.
"According to the aggrieved family of Hathras, the DM was the one who misbehaved the most with them," she said.
The UP government had late on Friday suspended Hathras SP Vikrant Vir and four other policemen after the first report of the Special Investigation Team found negligence on their part.
Mr. Adityanath then on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the case.
However, Ms. Vadra on Sunday wondered that while the family of the girl was demanding a judicial probe why was the government SIT probe still on even after a CBI probe was recommended by the state.
"If the UP government has woken up from its sleep even a bit, it should listen to the family," Ms. Vadra said on Twitter.
