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'Sati' case dogs politics in Rajasthan
A case of bride burning in Rajasthan in 1987 is haunting both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party.
A case of bride burning in Rajasthan in 1987 is haunting both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party.
With members from both parties among the accused, all of whom have since been acquitted, the two otherwise bitter political foes suddenly find themselves in the same camp.
Women's groups and NGOs are vociferously demanding an appeal against a judgement of a special court in the case of Roop Kanwar, who was 17 when she died.
The locals believe that Roop Kanwar committed 'sati' by throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her dead husband in Deorala village, keeping alive a tradition associated with the martial Rajput clan.
But others have maintained that she was burnt alive on the pyre in September 1987. The case dragged on for years, and the court acquitted the 11 accused about two months ago.
The court said the prosecution had failed to prove that the accused had glorified the age-old practice of 'sati', which was outlawed during the British Raj.
Women's organisations have taken to the streets in Rajasthan demanding action against the men they perceive to be guilty.
Said B.K. Jha, a political analyst: "The demands by women ahead of the Lok Sabha poll have put the Congress and the BJP in a fix. Members of both parties had been accused of glorifying Roop Kanwar."
The accused included state BJP vice president Rajendra Rathore as well as Pratap Singh Khacriawas, a nephew of Indian Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who last week joined the Congress party.
Both men are likely to contest the parliamentary poll May 5. Khacriawas is tipped as the Congress candidate from Jaipur.
The BJP government had 60 days to appeal against the Jaipur court's verdict. A minister said the government was studying the judgment.
Said Prem Krishan Sharma, president of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, a rights group: "We think the government is not serious. We want the government to appoint a special public prosecutor and lodge an inquiry against senior officials who turned hostile."
Sharma added: "If need be, we along with other NGOs and women's organisations would appeal in the Supreme Court."
