'It's Slanderous': Indian Opposition Party Congress on Efforts to Defame Alleged Rape Victim

Two local politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, have defended the accused in a recent alleged gang rape of a young girl in Hathras. A former BJP legislator even held a meeting defending the accused, while another blamed the deceased victim, saying she might have had an affair with one of the accused.

India's main opposition party Congress has said the alleged gang rape victim from Uttar Pradesh's Hathras deserves justice and not slander.

Reacting to the claim of a ruling BJP functionary that the young girl had an "affair" with the accused, Congress politician Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has described it as "revolting and regressive".

"Creating a narrative that defames a woman's character and holding her somehow responsible for crimes committed against her is revolting and regressive. A heinous crime has been committed at Hathras, leaving a 20-year-old Dalit woman dead", said Priyanka Gandhi in a series of tweets on Thursday. 

Creating a narrative that defames a woman’s character and holding her somehow responsible for crimes committed against her is revolting and regressive.

A heinous crime has been committed at Hathras, leaving a 20-year-old Dalit woman dead.

1/2

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 8, 2020

​

..Her body has been burned without the participation or consent of her family.

SHE DESERVES JUSTICE NOT SLANDER.

2/2#बेशर्मBJP

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 8, 2020

​The national watchdog for women has "condemned the offensive and defamatory remarks made by political leader #RanjeetSrivastava regarding the #Hathras victim".

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked him to appear before it on 26 October to give an explanation.

@NCWIndia strongly condemns the offensive and defamatory remarks made by political leader #RanjeetSrivastava regarding the #Hathras victim. The Commission has sent him a notice directing him to appear before NCW on October 26th at 11 AM to give an explanation. @sharmarekha https://t.co/Nv7z3UHGD0

— NCW (@NCWIndia) October 7, 2020

​"He is not fit to be called leader of any party. He is showing his primitive and sick mindset and I am going to send notice to him", said Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of NCW.   

Ranjeet Srivastava, a politician from the ruling BJP had said in a video statement that "the woman must have called a youth to the millet field as they were having a love affair. Now all the things are also on social media. The women must have been caught".

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh police have filed a case against former BJP legislator Rajveer Singh Pehelwan and 100 others for defying prohibitory orders.

A gathering outside his house had defended the four accused in the alleged gang-rape of a 19-year-old Dalit girl, and demanded registration of a case against the victim's family.

The 19-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and subjected to murderous assault in a millet field on 14 September. She died at a Delhi hospital on 29 September after battling for her life for 2 weeks.

Uttar Pradesh police hastily cremated her body in the wee hours of 30 September, claiming a threat to law and order in the village.

The incident evoked strong protests across the country and the top court described it as "a shocking incident", while considering a petition for an impartial inquiry into the incidents.