After Death Of Unnao Rape Survivor, Father Demands Hyderabad-Like ‘Swift Justice’
NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW : A day after Hyderabad Police killed all the four accused in veterinarian’s rape and murder case, the father of the Unnao rape survivor – who died of a heart attack on Friday night – has praised the city police and sought similar ‘justice’.
The 23-year-old woman was set afire by five men, including two of her alleged rapists, on Thursday morning when she was going to Rae Bareli to attend a court hearing in the rape case filed by her. After her death, a post-mortem examination of the body was conducted, hospital sources said, adding that its report would be handed over to the police.
“Justice was quick and this is the right move. I wish swift justice is meted out in my daughter’s case too. This will send a strong message that committing a heinous crime would have a bloody end and create fear in monsters like Shivam Trivedi (rape accused), who secure bail and again commit the crime.”
“I want to see the accused persons being chased and shot dead,” the woman’s father said at their house in Unnao. “I do not want money or any other kind of help. I want to see that the accused are chased and shot dead like the Hyderabad encounter or hanged to death,” he said.
The woman’s brother also reiterated the demand to kill the accused either in an encounter or by hanging, telling reporters here that his sister will get justice when all those responsible for her death “will go to the place where she has gone”.
After battling for her life for almost 40 hours, the 23-year-old woman died following a cardiac arrest on Friday night at the Safdarjung Hospital here. She had suffered more than 90 per cent burns and was airlifted to Delhi after being shifted from a local hospital to Lucknow.
Amid nationwide outrage over the incident and the larger issue of women’s safety, the Chief Minister also asked two of his ministers to travel to Unnao, 65 km from state capital Lucknow, and meet the woman’s family. Kamal Rani Varun and Swami Prasad Maurya – were instructed by Mr Yogi.
Yogi Adityanath said he is “extremely saddened to hear of the woman’s death”. “The case will be heard in a fast-track court and strictest of punishment will be given to the culprits,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who rushed to Unnao to meet the victim’s family, took to Twitter to blame the state government for its “hollow law and order mechanism” apart from society’s collective failure that prevented justice from being delivered to the woman.
“Why the victim of the Unnao gangrape case was not given security keeping in mind an earlier incident of Unnao? What action has been taken on the police official who refused to register an FIR? What steps are being taken by the government to stop crime against the women, which take place on a daily basis?” she tweeted.
Priyanka Gandhi was referring to another such alleged attack in the district in July when the car in which a woman, who had accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar of raping her, was hit by a truck.
Samajwadi Party president and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav sat on a ‘dharna’ outside the Vidhan Bhavan in Lucknow following the Unnao rape victim’s death. He termed Saturday as “Black Day” and blamed the BJP government for the death of the gang-rape victim.
“What help you have given to the family of the girl? (This) government is giving sorrow and creating difficulties,” he said, demanding that the UP government be “removed”. The Samajwadi Party will hold ‘shok sabhas’ (condolence meetings) in all the district headquarters “in memory of all the daughters who have lost their lives,” Yadav said.
BSP supremo Mayawati asked the UP government to ensure “proper justice” to the victim’s family, saying the young woman’s death was extremely painful and that her party was with her family in their hour of grief.
(Bureau Report With Agency Inputs ).
