New Delhi: The brutal murder of a young Dalit woman in Ayodhya has pushed the Yogi Adityanath-led ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the backfoot, days ahead of the crucial bypoll election in Milkipur, one of the Assembly constituents in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.
Milkipur is a constituency reserved for Dalits and both the leading candidates, of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, belong to the same Dalit sub-caste, Pasi.
The incident, reported just four days before voting, has provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition to target Adityanath’s model of law and order and highlight crimes against marginalised communities. It also blunts Adityanath’s narrative of a safe UP for women, as he has another crime to answer for, right in Ayodhya.
On Saturday (February 1), the body of a Dalit woman, who had gone missing two days earlier, was found in a field. While the woman’s family suspect sexual assault and also alleged mutilation, police are yet to confirm rape and are awaiting forensic reports. Police, however, said that reports that the woman’s eyes were gouged out were “false and baseless.”
Faizabad MP says he will resign if he can’t get justice for victim
The incident led to dramatic scenes as Awadhesh Prasad, the Member of Parliament from Faizabad, broke down before journalists while speaking about the victim, whose family he also visited. Prasad, who himself belongs to the Dalit Pasi community, said that he would resign as MP if he could not get justice for the victim. “I will raise this matter before [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi,” he said.
Prasad’s son Ajit Prasad is the Samajwadi Party’s candidate in the Milkipur bypoll. Weeping in front of reporters, Awadhesh Prasad, the veteran SP leader, said he had failed to save the woman.
Samajwadi Party leader and Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, breaks down before journalists while speaking about the victim. Photo: X.com/ @Awadheshprasad_
“What will history say? How did such a thing happen to our daughter? Where are you, Maryada Purshottam Ram? Where are you, Sita Maiya,” Prasad asked, almost wailing.
While Opposition parties trained their guns on Adityanath, he used his usual tactic of deflecting criticism by shifting the blame on the SP. Without producing any evidence to back his claim, Adityanath, while campaigning in Milkipur on February 2, predicted that once the investigation was complete it would be found that the accused in the murder case would have links to the SP.
Adityanath claims ‘some savage of SP would surely be involved’
“Some savage of the SP would surely be involved,” said Adityanath, as he dismissed Prasad’s tears as “nautanki” or theatrics.
Adiyanath dedicated more time raking up previous incidents of crimes against women, in which the police department headed by his home ministry had accused persons linked to the SP. The prominent among them was the Ayodhya gang rape case of last year in which SP leader Moid Khan and his staff in a bakery run by him were arrested on charges of allegedly raping a minor girl from the Nishad OBC community.
The minor girl also had to undergo an abortion. The BJP highlighted the fact that the accused Khan, who is 71 years old, was associated with Prasad. Adityanath even raised the case in the UP Assembly in August last year and met the family of the girl. The district administration demolished the bakery owned by Khan, alleging that it was an unauthorised construction built on government land, and also razed a multi-storey complex belonging to him alleging that it was illegally built although it has stood there for eight years.
“They are fond of Moid Khan,” said Adityanath in Milkipur, targeting the SP. He also alleged that whenever there is an incident of crime, including rape, there is always “an SP hand behind it” and the party is found to be “a part of the conspiracy.”
The Allahabad High Court had later rejected Khan’s bail plea, on grounds that he could adversely impact the trial, even though the forensic report of the paternity of the fetus was confirmed with Khan’s staff and not him.
Two persons detained by police
Regarding the latest case, Ayodhya police said they have so far detained two persons and are questioning them. The identity of the suspects is not yet known.
Raj Karan Nayyar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ayodhya, said that the family of the woman lodged a complaint after she was found missing from her home in the morning. Her body was found in a field the next day. Nayyar said that prima facie it appeared that the crime was not committed at the spot where the body was found.
“The murder took place somewhere else and the body was disposed of here,” said Nayyar, promising to solve the case soon.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said the girl was “subjected to inhuman treatment.” She demanded that the government take strict steps so that such an incident does not recur.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “The anti-Bahujan BJP regime, especially in Uttar Pradesh, is witnessing heinous atrocities, injustice and murders against Dalits.”
Gandhi also said that the Adityanath government should immediately investigate the crime and ensure that the culprits are given the harshest punishment. Strict action should also be taken against the responsible policemen for laxity, he added.