The opposition launched the attack against the Uttar Pradesh government after photos of the two accused, Anand alias Abhishek Chauhan and Kunal Pandey, celebrating their bail with a cake went viral on social media.
Samajwadi Party and Congress slammed the Uttar Pradesh government after two of the three accused in the IIT-BHU gangrape case were released on bail last week. They argued that this undermines the BJP-led government's claims about ensuring women's security.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav posted a video on X, alleging that the bail was granted due to the state's inadequate handling of the case.
The opposition launched the attack against the Uttar Pradesh government after photos of the two accused, Anand alias Abhishek Chauhan and Kunal Pandey, celebrating their bail with a cake went viral on social media.
The accused were charged with raping a woman student from IIT-BHU on November 1, 2023.
According to the complaint, they abducted, gagged, and stripped her, taking photos and videos before releasing her.
Chauhan, Pandey, and a third suspect, Saksham Patel, were arrested in December.
Chauhan and Pandey were released from a Varanasi jail last week, with Chauhan granted bail by Allahabad High Court Justice Krishan Pahal on July 2 and Pandey on July 4.
Pandey’s lawyer argued he had no prior criminal record and had been in jail since December 31 of the previous year.
In his post on X, SP chief Yadav said people are fed up with the BJP's politics and "anarchy".
Today, the BJP's train has reached its last station and it would be good if before ending the journey, the party apologises to the country with folded hands, he said.
Senior SP leader Juhie Singh said, "Women's safety? Fair justice? Harsh punishment? All this is just lip service in Uttar Pradesh."
The Congress also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, saying it has exposed the hypocrisy of his government and the BJP's claims about women's safety.
The Congress' official handle said in a post on X, "Two BJP IT Cell members who gang-raped a BHU student in Banaras have been released from jail. According to reports, when they came out of jail, celebrations were held and they were welcomed with great pomp."
Continued with, "After the gangrape, these BJP IT Cell members were sent to Madhya Pradesh to campaign for the BJP".
"Everyone knows that these BJP IT Cell members who gang-raped the woman are very important in their party. There are pictures of them with Modi, Yogi (Adityanath), J P Nadda and other senior BJP leaders," it added.
The party also shared the purported pictures of the accused with Modi and Adityanath.
(With PTI inputs)