Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the family of the nine-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in the Capital. Mr. Gandhi said he will stand with the family till they get justice and will not back down even an inch.
Reacting to a picture that Mr. Gandhi posted on Twitter with the girl’s parents, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to the social media platform asking for action against Mr. Gandhi’s account for revealing the identity of the victim.
“Tweeting a photo of a victim’s parents and thereby revealing her identity is a violation of the POCSO Act, 2012. NCPCR has taken cognisance of the matter and issued a notice to Twitter seeking action against Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter handle as well as removal of the post,” NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo tweeted.
Some BJP leaders have taken strong objection to Gandhi politicizing a gruesome crime as rape. Sambit Patra- a BJP spokesperson said, “His (Rahul Gandhi) tweet violates sec 23 of POCSO Act & sec 74 of Juvenile Justice Care & Protection of Children Act that prohibits revealing the minor’s identity. He revealed identity of child’s family & is using the issue for his political agenda.”
“I appeal to the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights to take strict action under the POCSO Act and a notice must be issued to him. No one is a VIP. Rahul Gandhi must be answerable to this,” Patra urged.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Congress organised several protests across the city and demanded trial of the case by a fast-track court.
Delhi Congress chief Ch. Anil Kumar, who accompanied Mr. Gandhi to meet the victim’s family, said the parents of the girl said that “she was also a desh ki beti (daughter of the country), and deserved justice”.
Mr. Kumar said it was surprising that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was busy increasing the salary of his MLAs, could not spare time to meet the family immediately after the incident.
“Instead of addressing the problems being faced by Delhiites now, including the safety and security of women, broken roads, waterlogging, and spike in cases of vector-borne diseases, Mr. Kejriwal was fooling people by painting a rosy future of making Delhi like Singapore by 2047,” Mr. Kumar said.
Targetting the ruling party, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said that if the Home Minister comes to Parliament and makes a statement on Delhi rape case, he will shave his head.
O’Brien with this statement was trying to target Union Home Minister Amit Shah who was not seen in the Parliamentary proceedings.
