Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condemned the attack on two Indian Army officers and the alleged gangrape of their woman friend in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, calling it a disgrace to society as a whole. He also criticised the state of law and order in areas governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to the police, the Army officers were assaulted, and one of their two women friends was raped by unidentified men during a picnic in Indore district on Wednesday night.
Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, expressed his outrage on X, stating, “The violence against two army soldiers and the rape of their female companion in Madhya Pradesh is enough to shame the entire society. Law and order in BJP ruled states is almost non-existent and the negative attitude of BJP Government towards the day by day increasing crimes against women is extremely worrying.”
He pointed out that the audacity of the criminals highlights the failure of the administration and creates an unsafe environment that limits the freedom and aspirations of India’s daughters.
“This audacity of the criminals is a result of the total failure of the administration and the unsafe environment prevailing in the country due to this is a restriction on the freedom and aspirations of the daughters of India,” Gandhi added.
Badgonda police station in-charge Lokendra Singh Hirore revealed that the officers, aged 23 and 24, who were undergoing the Young Officers (YO) course at the Infantry School in Mhow cantonment, had gone out for a picnic with their two women friends.
The police said that six to seven people arrived at the picnic spot on Mhow-Mandleshwar road around 2 am on Wednesday.
One officer and his woman friend were in the car while the other two were on a nearby hillock. They rushed down upon hearing the commotion.
The attackers held all four at gunpoint, taking one officer and the woman hostage. They demanded Rs 10 lakh from the remaining officer, allowing him to contact his seniors, who subsequently informed the police. Two suspects have been detained so far.
Gandhi further said, “Both the society and the government should be ashamed and think seriously – how long will they turn a blind eye to the responsibility of protecting half the population of the country!”
