PM Modi must apologise to the daughters of Varanasi: Congress

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress on Tuesday will protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency office in Varanasi against the alleged involvement of the BJP's IT cell office-bearers in the IIT-BHU molestation case.

Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai has said his party workers would 'gherao' Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency office.

"Women and children are being molested and raped in Varanasi, the constituency of the Prime Minister. To bring the real face of the BJP, on how they are patronising their criminal workers, our Banaras district unit and city unit will demonstrate outside the Prime Minister's Varanasi office on Tuesday," Rai added.

He said the Prime Minister must apologise to the daughters of Varanasi for the shameful and criminal conduct of the BJP workers.

The accused Kunal Pandey, the convener of BJP's IT cell in Varanasi; Saksham Patel, co-convener of the ruling party's IT cell; and Abhishek Chauhan, the working committee member of the BJP IT cell, Varanasi, were sent to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections so that they could not be arrested.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Chief also demanded bulldozer action on houses of the accused and asked why the car carrying these BJP workers never overturns.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav, President of the Samajwadi Party, said: "The BJP criminals in the BHU case should be given such punishment that no one in the arrogance of power can misuse the protection of the BJP government against the dignity and identity of any woman. Every woman in Uttar Pradesh and the country is asking, why does the car of criminals, supported by BJP, never overturns and why the bulldozer is never used in their cases."

The molestation incident dates back to November 2, when the woman IIT-BHU student alleged that around 1.30 a.m. while she was taking a walk near the Karman Baba Temple with a friend on the campus, three men on a bike arrived, shut the victim's mouth, took off her clothes, kissed and recorded photos and videos. When she shouted for help, they threatened to kill her and ran away.

An FIR was registered under Section 354, assault or use of criminal force with the intent to outrage a woman's modesty of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the IT Act at the Varanasi's Lanka police station the same day as the day of the incident.

The incident resulted in an uproar with students of the university holding a protest near the Rajputana Hostel demanding the immediate arrest of the accused and decisive steps to protect the campus.

Days later, the Uttar Pradesh Police added Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. The police arrested the three accused last week.

IANS with edits