Uttarakhand: BJP leader, aide booked for gang-rape, murder of minor

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and an associate have been charged with the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 13-year-old-girl, whose body was found along the Roorkee-Haridwar highway in Haridwar on June 24. Both Aditya Raj Saini, a serving member of the state’s OBC commission and the BJP’s state OBC Morcha and Amit Saini, the second accused, have yet to be arrested, but the political leader has been removed from both posts, and has been expelled from primary membership of the BJP.

In her complaint to the Uttarakhand police, the 13-year-old victim’s mother alleged that Amit Saini lured her daughter away from their home at around 7 pm on June 23. “When she didn’t come back till late at night, I called my daughter on her mobile phone. Amit Saini picked up who said my daughter was with him. When I tried again, the phone was switched off,” she wrote in the complaint. It adds that Saini had lured her daughter into a relationship for the past six months, had raped her in this period, and had even threatened the family previously.

On the morning of June 24, the victim’s mother then went to the residence of Aditya Raj Saini, who she alleged, worked with him. “When I told him about the matter, Aditya Raj Saini asked me not to approach the police and said he would handle the situation.

He is involved in the case. They have gang-raped my daughter and murdered her,” she said in her complaint.

Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal said that the police recovered the victims body at 4:45 amon June 24 on the Roorkee-Haridwar National Highway. “We couldn’t ascertain her identity initially, but the woman later in the evening identified her as her daughter. On her complaint, we have registered the FIR against Amit Saini and Aditya Raj Saini under relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO Act.”

The FIR against the two men has been registered under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 363 (kidnapping), 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc), 376-A (Punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), 376-D (gangrape), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal code, and sections 5g and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Bahadarabad police station on June 25.

“It is a serious matter. Five teams have been constituted to solve the matter. We are gathering evidence related to the case and I have been monitoring the probe, which is being investigated by a woman officer. The culprits will be sent behind bars,” Dobhal said. He added that a post-mortem of the victim has been conducted and the police were waiting for a report.

Swatantra Kumar, superintendent of police (city), said, “We are in regular touch with the victim’s family. We have been trying to connect the dots—when and where she left her home and how the incident took place.”

The incident has led to a political uproar, with the Congress alleging that the law and order situation in Uttarakhand was worrisome. Party state chief spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni said, “The news that has come from Haridwar is terrifying. A minor girl has been gang-raped and murdered. The involvement of a member of the State OBC Commission, Aditya Raj Saini has come to light. It seems that criminals and rapists have no fear or terror of the police administration. CM Dhami should come out of his self-obsession and take cognisance of what is going on in the state, whether it is the corruption in the departments or the crimes against women.”

“.....Uttarakhand Other Backward Commission’s nominated member Aditya Raj Saini has been dropped from his position with immediate effect under subsection (3) of section 4 of the Uttarakhand Other Backward Classes Commission Act, 2003 (Act No. 07, 2003). Along with this, the facilities given to Aditya Raj Saini have also been terminated with immediate effect,” a government order signed by secretary of social welfare department, Brijesh Kumar Sant stated.

Manveer Singh Chauhan, state BJP media in-charge however said that the police have started investigating the matter and the party had taken decisive action in expelling Aditya Raj Saini from primary membership from the party. “BJP never tolerates such acts.

When we came to know about the incident, we immediately removed him from the party’s primary membership. Law will take its own course.”