Bulandshahr rape: BJP demands CBI probe, accuses UP CM of protecting guilty

New Delhi, Aug. 2 (ANI): Accusing the Akhilesh Yadav-led government in Uttar Pradesh of providing protections to criminals in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded that the gruesome Bulandshahr mother-daughter duo gang-rape case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). "The BJP strongly condemns the Bulandshahr rape and demands a CBI probe in the matter. We offer our condolences to the victims of the family and order swift action against the guilty," BJP leader Shrikant Sharma said in a series of tweets. Asserting that women in the Samajwadi Party-ruled state are living in an atmosphere of terror, he said the morale of the Uttar Pradesh Police is at an all-time low and the criminals are roaming scot-free. "The criminals in UP have the backing of Akhilesh Yadav which is why the locals are now living without any hope," Sharma added. Yesterday, the family members of the victims threatened suicide if stringent punishment was not meted out to the perpetrators of the heinous crime. "We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," said the cab driver, whose family was attacked and subjected to hours of unspeakable horror. "We dialled 100 for 15 minutes, but got either a busy tone or no response. Finally, I called my friend and he called the police," he added. In a major revelation, the National Commission for Women (NCW) earlier exposed the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the gang-rape case and said the crucial (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) POCSO Act was missing from the FIR. Speaking to ANI, NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam said the police's attitude towards the incident showed its apathy. "The whole case is dependent on the FIR. When a minor girl has been gang-raped, there should have been POCSO. From NCW, we are clear that this is police apathy and callousness. They are trying to cover up the matter. There is a huge difference between what they are saying in front of the media and what they are actually doing," she said. She further revealed that 15 persons were neither arrested nor detained, adding that only eight persons were detained and the family has identified three. Meanwhile, four police officers have been suspended. The three men, who have been arrested, were yesterday sent to 14-day judicial custody. Four other accused are, however, still absconding. The incident took place on Friday night when a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers in Bulandshahr district. The victims were on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur with the other family members when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-9, which connects Noida and Bulandshahr. (ANI)