Every time...victim is Dalit, poor: Rahul demands Ghazipur rape-murder probe

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday called for a high-level investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a girl from the Vishwakarma community in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, seeking immediate justice and action against those responsible.

In a post on X, Gandhi said that in a country where parents have to plead even to register an FIR for their daughter, the government has no moral right to remain in power. He also demanded action against police officials accused of inaction and said the victim’s family must be provided protection.

“In Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, the rape and brutal murder of a daughter from the Vishwakarma community — and then threats and violence to stop the family from filing an FIR.

“Hathras, Kathua, Unnao, and now Ghazipur — this is a pattern. The daughter from Manipur breathed her last while waiting for justice,” he said in his post in Hindi.

He added that the victims in such cases are often from marginalised communities. “Every time, it is the same face and the victim is Dalit, backward, tribal or poor.

“Every time, the same truth — protection for the criminal, persecution for the victim. Every time, the same silence — from those in power who should have spoken.

“In a country and state where parents have to beg even to get an FIR filed for their daughter, that country’s government has no moral right to remain in power,” Gandhi said.

Calling for immediate intervention, he said, “Action must be taken against the guilty police officers, the family must get protection — a high-level investigation must happen, and justice must be delivered immediately.”

Posing questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Gandhi asked, “Modi ji, chief minister ji, give a response — why are daughters so unsafe in your rule?”

“In such circumstances, justice isn’t begged for — it is snatched. And we will snatch it,” he added.

Congress MP and general-secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the handling of the case, alleging that reluctance to file a complaint, followed by threats to the victim’s family and attempts by powerful actors to create disorder, reflected a worsening situation for women in the state.

“In BJP rule, this has now become the unspoken law: whenever any woman faces atrocity, the victim herself is further tormented,” she said.

“The Prime Minister’s grand statements about women are mere show. Be it Unnao, Hathras, Prayagraj, or Ghazipur — wherever women have faced injustice, the BJP has stood with the oppressor against the victim, using its full power. Women across the country are witnessing this reign of darkness,” Vadra said in her post in Hindi.

The case relates to a teenage girl whose body was found in the Karanda area of Ghazipur district on 15 April. Her family has alleged sexual assault and murder. Police have said the matter is under investigation, while relatives and local residents have been demanding justice.

With PTI inputs