The mother of a 12-year-old girl who was gang-raped in Ayodhya has alleged that local Samajwadi Party leaders offered her money to withdraw the complaint against the accused who is also reportedly a party functionary.
Meanwhile, a three-member BJP delegation met the girl and her family on Sunday, urging the state government to increase the compensation for the survivor from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
Kin Of Victim Alleges SP Leader Offered Money
The mother of the 12-year-old victim has told India Today that a Samajwadi Party leader named 'Rashid' has offered their family an amount to settle the case.
Samajwadi Party's Bhadarsa Nagar Panchayat Chairman is Mohammed Rashid.
BSP Also Alleges SP Leaders Threatened Kin Of Victim
A Bahujan Samaj Party leader also claimed that the mother of the Ayodhya gang-rape victim has alleged that some people are asking her to reach a compromise in the case .
Vishwanath Pal said that the woman made the allegation after a delegation of the party visited her house.
"A delegation of the BSP met the family of the girl in her village on Saturday. The mother of the girl told the delegation that some people were asking her to make a compromise in the case. We assured her that justice will be done and she should not come under pressure or threat of anyone," Pal, the BSP state president, told PTI Videos in Ayodhya.
He said that the delegation also visited the women's hospital where the 12-year-old girl is undergoing treatment and talked to the hospital superintendent regarding her health.
He accused the SP of shielding the culprit, who is said to be "Nagar Adhyaksh" of the party.
"There should be no politics on the issue. They (SP) have not sacked the accused yet. The party is defending him," he said.
BJP Delegation Meets Kin
A BJP delegation, including Rajya Sabha MPs Sangeeta Balwant Bind and Baburam Nishad, and UP's Minister of State for Backward Class Welfare Narendra Kashyap, visited the family of the victim on Sunday.
They held a detailed discussion with the family and gathered information about the incident. A report on the matter will be submitted to K. Laxman, the national president of the BJP's OBC Morcha.
During the visit, the delegation urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to increase the state's financial assistance to the survivor's family from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
Chief Minister Adityanath had previously extended Rs 5 lakh in aid to the family, with the cheque delivered by Bikapur MLA Amit Singh Chauhan on Saturday.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, state minister Kashyap said, "We spoke to the mother (of the rape survivor) and gathered information. The delegation assured them that the government will work in every manner so that the family gets justice. The criminal who was involved in such a heinous crime will not be spared."
He also said that the family is satisfied with the action initiated by the government, but there is some fear.
BJP leaders, including Adityanath, have alleged that Moid Khan, the prime accused in the gangrape case, is a member of Samajwadi Party (SP) and part of the team of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad.
Akhilesh Yadav's Comments Sparked Row
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday urged the court to order protection for the Ayodhya rape victim considering the "sensitivity" of the case.
He also said people trying to "politicise" the case must not be allowed to succeed.
"The government should make the best possible medical arrangements for the rape survivor. It is the government's responsibility to protect the girl's life," Yadav said in a post on X.
"It is a humble request to the honourable court to take suo motu cognisance of the situation and ensure all possible security to the girl under its supervision, considering the sensitivity and seriousness of the situation. The motive of ill-intentioned people to politicise such incidents should never succeed," he added.
Yadav had on Saturday sparked a controversy with his demand for a DNA test of the two men accused of raping a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant.
Police on July 30 arrested Moid Khan, who runs a bakery in Bhadarsa Nagar of Ayodhya district, and his employee Raju Khan, in connection with the minor's rape.
According to police, Moid Khan and Raju Khan had raped the girl two months ago and also recorded the act. The incident came to light after the girl was found to be pregnant in a medical checkup.
