The chief minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, has been recently facing criticism over his comments on rape law. But he claims that he was only telling the truth.
Gehlot said on Friday, that the cases of murder after Rape have increased in the country after the law saying death penatly shall be provided to rape convicts has been passed. He said that since death penalty for rape convicts have been brought into force after the Nirbhaya incident, the murders after rape have increased. This is because the rapist understands that victim girl, will be a witness tomorrow, and hence, he not only rapes her but also murders her. It is a very dangerous trend, Gehlot commented.
Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi reacted to this statement on Sunday, claiming that the CM had made fun of her daughter. She said “It is a very embarrassing statement. It is painful, especially to those families and girls who have been victims of such heinous crimes. He (CM Gehlot) has made fun of Nirbhaya, the law was made by their govt,”
In response to this Gehlot had replied that he was only speaking the truth. He reiterated that whenever a rapist rapes someone, they kill them so as to erase any chances of being identified. This practice is increasing the number of deaths, he said.
On the other hand, the BJP has said that Gehlot’s remarks are just his way to hide his government’s weaknesses.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the chief minister’s statement is “unfortunate”.
Shekhawat further said that in the past three years, Rajasthan has been viewing a surge in atrocities against young innocent girls. And it is unfortunate that this grave issue is being twisted by making controversial statements just to throw cover upon their limitations.
Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Rajendra Rathore was also of the opinion that Gehlot’s statement is “unfortunate and shameful”. He shared that the statistics of NCRB and police report show that the state ranks first in the country in rape cases. He also says that a total of 4,091 cases have been registered under the POCSO Act from January 2020 to January 2022.
