The protests demanding justice for the 9-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped, killed and forcibly cremated on Sunday, continued in South West Delhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the girl’s family on Wednesday morning and pulled out another publicity stunt as he ended up clicking pictures with the victim’s family members and posted them on social media.
https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1422779132249788416?s=20
Although, Rahul Gandhi loves to earn some brownie points by politicizing issues, this particular action of his regarding the rape case has landed him into trouble. It precisely shows that he has no knowledge about the ‘law of the land’.
The Juvenile Justice Act states that it is illegal to reveal the identity of a rape victim/her parents which resulted in the@NCPCR_ taking cognizance of this non-bailable offense of on bail Rahul Gandhi for Violation of Section 74 of Juvenile Justice Atc, 2015 and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012.
Thank you @NCPCR_ for taking cognizance of this non-bailable offense of on bail Rahul Gandhy. pic.twitter.com/Z7faIZu1da
— Arun Pudur (@arunpudur) August 4, 2021
On Sunday evening, the 9 year old rape victim had gone to fetch water from a water cooler at a crematorium near her house. Police said that after around 30 minutes, the priest, Radhey Shyam, and two-three others called the girl’s mother and showed her the body of her daughter. They claimed that the girl was electrocuted while collecting water. However, the girl’s parents claim that Shyam forced them to cremate her body, and the mother suspects her daughter was raped before she was killed. The people who called up the girl’s mother were known to the girl’s family.
The Juvenile Justice Act states that it is illegal to reveal the identity of a rape victim/her parents.
Rahul Gandhi doesn't even know the law of the land?
Tweeting a picture of a rape victim's daughter's mother and father?@NCPCR_ @smritiirani@KanoongoPriyank
— Arun Pudur (@arunpudur) August 4, 2021
The woman further accused the men for not taking her permission before lighting the pyre. “I was screaming and a few villagers saw and came to help me. We doused the fire but could only recover my daughter’s legs,” she said
Based on the statement by the victim’s mother, Delhi Police has registered a case against the four people on the basis of allegations made by the mother that her daughter was raped, murdered and cremated without their consent on Sunday.The accused have been booked under Sections 302, 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, along with the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act.
दलित की बेटी भी देश की बेटी है। pic.twitter.com/CdbWkCwePP
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 3, 2021
On Monday, Radhey Shyam (55), a priest at the cremation ground, and three other employees – Kuldeep Kumar (63), LaxmiNarain (48) and MohdSalim (49), were arrested.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Rahul Gandhi had come to meet the parents of the girl and was not there to politicize the issue. Rahul Gandhi has claimed that he will raise the issue in the Parliament and also tweeted on Tuesday that, “The daughter of a Dalit is also the daughter of the country”.
It is interesting to note that Rahul Gandhi’s politics might be limited in nature, as he is not known to be an active and outspoken parliamentarian on other rape cases across the country. But as it’s an issue which concerns the national capital and will provide him with a good exposure and wide media coverage Rahul Gandhi is speaking up.
https://twitter.com/Shehzad_Ind/status/1422765025521930241?s=20
Congress ruled state of Rajasthan has witnessed the worst kind of atrocities & crimes including rapes of Dalits but Rahul Gandhi has so far refrained to touch the issue. And it’s not just sexual assault and rapes, Rajasthan has seen a spate of lynching& public humiliation of Dalits, be it Chief Minster Ashok Gehlot or Rahul Gandhi, nobody has dared to even utter a word about it.
https://twitter.com/Shehzad_Ind/status/1422766435651112968?s=20https://twitter.com/Shehzad_Ind/status/1422767048711495681?s=20
The stunt pulled by Rahul Gandhi in the recent rape case is a cheap strategy to establish some relevance in the national capital and to appear to be a man of the masses in national media. Trying to politicize a sensitive issue which shook the whole nation is indeed a shameful act and revealing the victim’s family’s identity to earn some brownie points is illegal, and charges should be pressed against the same. After being in politics albeit unsuccessfully, it’s high time Rahul Gandhi gets himself aware about the law of the country and stop pulling cheap publicity stunts for petty gains.