Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday stoked a controversy after he demanded a DNA test of the accused in Ayodhya's gangrape case.
The Ayodhya Police on July 30 arrested Moid Khan, who runs a bakery in Bhadarsa Nagar of Purakalandar police station area of the district, and his employee Raju Khan in the case of gang rape of a 12-year-old girl.
According to the police, the minor was raped for over two months by the accused, who also recorded the act. The case came to light when the girl became pregnant because of the sexual assault.
The main accused, Moid Khan, is a Samajwadi Party functionary, according to the police. The Ayodhya district administration has demolished his bakery.
On Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav demanded that a DNA test should be done on the rape accused to deliver justice to the victim.
“In the case of misdeeds, the way for justice should be found by getting DNA tests done on those who are accused, and not by merely making allegations and doing politics,” Yadav wrote on X.
"Whoever is guilty should be given full punishment according to the law, but if the allegations are proven false after the DNA test, then the government officials involved should also not be spared. This is the demand for justice," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"Whoever is guilty should be given full punishment according to the law, but if the allegations are proven false after the DNA test, then the government officials involved should also not be spared. This is the demand for justice," he added.
{{/usCountry}}The SP chief also demanded that the government immediately provide ₹20 lakh in assistanceto the victim's family.
Also Read | Minor’s rape in Ayodhya: CM assures justice, promises bulldozer action: Victim’s mother
Yadav's demand for a DNA test was met with criticism from political parties in Uttar Pradesh, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Nishad Party.
The BJP accused the Samajwadi Party of defending a "paedophile" and showing its “boys will be boys mindset”. It also accused the leaders of the INDIA bloc of being silent.
"What do they want to prove with the DNA test? Who all were involved in the gangrape, will this be decided on the basis of the DNA test? Is the rapist who made the girl pregnant the only one guilty of rape?" BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya wrote on X.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla wrote that Yadav's demand is an insult to the minor victim.
"Akhilesh Yadav gives clean chit to rapist Moid Khan, SP Neta & demands DNA test! Is this not an insult to the 12-year-old Nishad girl?" Poonawalla asked.
“Moid Khan’s SP supporters threatened the family of minor to withdraw the case! On one hand, CM Yogi is taking bulldozer action- on the other hand, SP is showing a “boys will be boys” mindset & defending a paedophile…All INDI ALLIANCE netas are silent!...," Poonawalla said on X.
BSP chief Mayawati, too, questioned Yadav's remarks regarding the accused's DNA test.
“The strict action being taken by the UP government against the accused in the Ayodhya gangrape case is justified, but what should one understand from SP's statement that the DNA test of the accused should be done,” Mayawati said.
"The SP should also tell how many DNA tests have been done against such accused in their government," she added.
UP minister and Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad also hit out at the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of shielding the accused.
"I will appeal to all parties that a tyrant doesn't have any caste, don't take his side. I will go to Samajwadi Party office and protest against such a tyrant," he said while breaking into tears, according to PTI.