Day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met the family of a 12-year-old girl who was raped by two men in Ayodhya, the district administration demolished an "illegal bakery" owned by accused Moid Khan.
Khan, a Samajwadi Party leader, is the main accused in the minor's gangrape case.
Earlier in the day, Ashok Kumar, SDM Sohawal, had told news agency ANI, "The bakery has been sealed after it was found illegal and action to demolish the bakery is being initiated."
After the demolition of the bakery of the SP leader, the administration went on to demolish the boundary wall on a pond, which was illegal built by Khan.
Ayodhya Additional District Magistrate, Anirudh Kumar Singh, said that the accused had encroached the public pond and made an illegal bakery and a boundary.
"Our revenue department has investigated this and hence this demolition is being done here. Notice has already been served regarding a multi-complex, we aren't demolishing it today as a bank operates in it. We have informed the bank manager and when they vacate or even not, demolition will be done," ADM Singh added.
Notably, CM Yogi Adityanath had assured the minor's family of strict action against the accused. He had gone to meet the victim's family along with Bikapur MLA, Dr Amit Singh Chauhan.
In a post on X, Adityanath had said, "The culprits will not be spared at any cost, (and) strict action will be taken against them. We are committed to getting justice for the girl."
Accused Moid Khan and his employee from the bakery, Raju Khan, were arrested from the Purakalandar area in connection with the case on July 30.
Police sources had said that two had raped the 12-year-old two months and filmed the act. However, the incident came to light only when a recent medical examination revealed that the victim was pregnant.
Adityanath, while speaking the state Assembly on Thursday, had claimed that Moid Khan belong to the Samajwadi Party.
"Moid Khan is from the Samajwadi Party and a member of the Ayodhya MP's team. He has been found involved in a case of rape of a 12-year-old. The Samajwadi Party has not taken action against him," he said.
A relative of the victim, who also met with Adityanath, had said that the family has asked for "capital punishment and bulldozing of the accused's illegal properties", news agency PTI reported.
Hours after the CM's meeting with the family, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Purakalandar police station -- Ratan Sharma -- and Bhadarsha outpost-in-charge -- Akhilesh Gupta -- were suspended.
"Following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's assurance to the mother of the gang rape victim, Sub Divisional Magistrate of the area, accompanied by revenue personnel, visited the house of the accused SP leader Moid Khan on Friday evening. The process of measurement of the land (paimaish) belonging to the accused has begun," an official press statement read.
CM Yogi Adityanath had also directed Anita Agarwal, member of the UP Child Rights Protection Commission, to meet the rape victim in Ayodhya.
WHAT AYODHYA MP OF SAMAJWADI PARTY SAID
Faizabad (Ayodhya) MP Awadhesh Prasad reacted to Moid Khan being the main accused in the gang rape case and said, "As far as this incident is concerned, it is very painful and shameful. All the people involved in this incident should be investigated, the truth should be found out and whoever is guilty action should be taken with full force against them...And as far as the victim is concerned, our party completely stand with the victim."
He slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for "doing politics on this".
"Innocents should not be framed and DNA test should be conducted. She (victim) should be helped financially as well... I have never allowed anyone to come near me who has even the slightest connection with the crime. I have never taken any kind of help from them. As far as the photo (with the accused) is concerned. Lakhs of people click pictures with us, take selfies... BJP should not do this kind of politics," he told news agency ANI.
Prasad also reacted to the demolition of Moid Khan's "illegal bakery" and termed it to be Adityanath's "very old ideology".
"Samajwadi Party has always fought against injustice... The Bharatiya Janata Party should not do politics on such a horrific, shameful incident," he added.
