Kanpur (UP), Jan 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai on Wednesday accused police and the state government of shielding a sub-inspector in the alleged abduction and gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl here.
Rai, who paid an unannounced visit to the victim’s village, met the girl’s father and assured the family of full support from the Congress and its workers in their fight for justice.
Placing his hand on the father’s shoulder, Rai said the party stood firmly with the family. Alleging police complicity, he claimed the sub-inspector, the prime accused, was allowed to flee after the incident. “If he is a policeman, where can he go? It is clear that the police are themselves protecting him,” Rai told reporters.
He further alleged that ahead of his visit, the police forcibly took the victim away from her home. “The girl was taken away before we arrived. She has been taken somewhere and kept there. What is the government trying to hide?” he asked.
The victim’s father told reporters that around 9 am, police personnel came to their house and took his daughter, saying her statement was to be recorded in court. Her brother accompanied her, he added.
Reacting to reports that the accused sub-inspector, Amit Kumar Maurya, has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Kanpur police commissioner seeking a CBI probe, Rai said it showed the administration was going out of its way to protect him. “When the accused himself is issuing clarifications and seeking an inquiry, it exposes where the government and administration stand,” he said, alleging a collapse of law and order in the state.
Terming the announcement of a reward for the accused as an “eyewash”, Rai said no concrete action had been taken so far. “Those who were meant to protect people have turned into predators. Law and order in the state has completely collapsed,” he alleged.
Drawing attention to the family’s living conditions, Rai said they lacked even basic amenities. “There is no proper house, no land, no road, no electricity and no toilet. This is the real situation on the ground,” he said.
The Congress leader demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation for the victim’s family, a government job for one member, a house, allotment of land and basic facilities, including toilets. He also sought the immediate arrest of the accused sub-inspector and questioned why “bulldozer action” had not been initiated against him.
“Bulldozers are being run on the houses of other accused. When will the bulldozer reach the sub-inspector’s house?” he asked.
Rai also questioned the government’s claims regarding toilet coverage, pointing out that the girl was allegedly raped when she had gone out to relieve herself. “The government claims toilets have been built everywhere, but look at this house — there is no toilet, no road, no electricity. This is how the poor are being exploited,” he said.
The police have announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Maurya, who remains absconding. Four teams led by senior officers have been formed to trace him and raids are being conducted at multiple locations, including Gorakhpur, officials said.
According to the FIR, the girl was abducted around 10 pm on January 5, taken in an SUV to a deserted spot near a railway track and allegedly raped for nearly two hours before being abandoned unconscious outside her house. The SUV, registered in the name of the accused sub-inspector, has been seized.
The investigation has revealed that Maurya was present in the area at the time of the incident despite being posted at the Bithoor police station. The police have also admitted that provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were invoked only later after a court pulled up the police over the lapse.
The probe has since been transferred to a senior officer, while security has been provided to the victim’s family. PTI COR CDN KSS KSS
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