The Samajwadi Party, Congress and other opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have slammed the BJP government over the release of two men accused of raping a Banaras Hindu University (BHU) student in 2023. They claim the case is being undermined to protect the culprits.
Accusing the BJP of “hypocrisy,” the opposition pointed out that the two accused, Kunal Pandey and Anand Chauhan (Abhishek Chauhan), who were granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in July, were welcomed with garlands following their release from jail last week. The men had been in jail since December 2023.
In a post on X, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said, “The news of two of the three accused in the BHU gang rape case, who worked as BJP IT cell officials, getting bail, is condemnable and worrisome. The question is who was pressurizing to weaken the defense in the court. It is a shameful thing that is demoralizing the daughters of the country as there are reports of these rapist not only coming out but also being welcomed with garlands.”
He added, “BJP should clarify whether BJP workers have been given special exemption and freedom to commit rape in the country’s Prime Parliamentary constituency?”
Yadav said that people are fed up with the BJP’s politics and “anarchy” Today, the BJP’s train has reached its last station and it would be good if before ending the journey, the party apologises to the country with folded hands, he added.
Senior SP leader Juhie Singh said, “Women’s safety? Fair justice? Harsh punishment? All this is just lip service in Uttar Pradesh.” The Congress also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, saying it has exposed the hypocrisy of his government and the BJP’s claims about women’s safety.
Congress state president Ajay Rai alleged that the government is protect the men accused of such “heinous crime”. “The thinking of the Yogi Adityanath-led government towards women is clear from this incident. First, they tried to protect the accused and when they had to arrest them under pressure, now the case is being weakened by not pursuing it properly in court,” Rai said.
“Recently, the Prime Minister said that justice should be provided quickly in cases of crimes against women. But in his own parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, criminals are benefiting from poor follow-up of cases against them. When those committing crimes against women are welcomed with garlands, their morale will go up,” he added.
“After the gangrape, these BJP IT Cell members were sent to Madhya Pradesh to campaign for the BJP…” the Congress’ official handle said in a post on X.
“Everyone knows that these BJP IT Cell members who gang-raped the woman are very important in their party. There are pictures of them with Modi, Yogi (Adityanath), J P Nadda and other senior BJP leaders,” it said.
The Allahabad High Court instructed the accused to provide a personal bond and two sureties each to the court’s satisfaction and imposed specific conditions on them. Anand Chauhan’s bail was approved on July 2, while Kunal Pandey’s was granted on July 4.
According to the prosecution, the three accused allegedly raped the woman, a student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) on November 2, 2023. The incident reportedly occurred when she had stepped out of her hostel with a friend on the night of November 1, 2023. The accused allegedly took her to a secluded area, gagged and stripped her, and recorded the assault with photos and videos before letting her go. Chauhan, Pandey, and the third accused, Saksham Patel, were arrested in December.
