Being a woman a crime in 'jungle raj': Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slams UP govt

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, 7 March, slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that "being a woman has become a crime in this jungle raj".

The Congress general secretary said two minor girls, who were victims of gang rape, had died by suicide in Kanpur; and now their father has also taken his own life.

"It is alleged that pressure was being put on the victim's family to 'compromise'," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in a post in Hindi on X.

"In Uttar Pradesh, if victimised girls and women ask for justice, it has become a rule to destroy their families. From Unnao, Hathras to Kanpur, wherever women were tortured, their families were destroyed," she alleged.

"Being a woman has become a crime in this jungle raj, where there is no such thing as law and order left," Priyanka Gandhi said.

What should crores of women of the state do and where should they go, she asked.

The two girls were found hanging from a tree in a field near the brick kiln they were working in, in a village in the Ghatampur area of Kanpur last month — days after they were allegedly raped.

Family members have alleged that the minor girls were raped a few days ago by the contractor of the brick kiln, Ramroop Nishad (48), his son Raju (18) and nephew Sanjay (19), additional commissioner of police (law and order) Harish Chandra had said. All three accused had been arrested, he said.

According to the families, the accused had also made a video of the act to blackmail the girls — 16 and 14 years of age — due to which they took the extreme step.