Delhi law minister names gangrape victim, admits mistake

New Delhi: Mired in controversies, Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti on Thursday committed a faux pas by revealing the name of Danish woman, who was allegedly gang raped late on Tuesday night.

Bharti named the victim in a press release issued on Wednesday night but later clarified that her identity was revealed "accidentally". He on Thursday acknowledged his mistake saying that minutes later he had issued two clarifications in which the victim's name was removed.

In the press release, Bharti stated that despite repeated requests by Delhi Police and Denmark Consulate, the victim refused to undergo a medical test. She also refused to stay here to identify the rapists and unable to cope with the mental agony she opted to leave for her country by the morning flight on Wednesday.

The 51-year-old Danish tourist was allegedly robbed and gangraped at knife-point near New Delhi railway station in the heart of the national capital by around six men on Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, Bharti was at the centre of another raging row when he tried to raid an alleged drug and prostitution ring but the police refused to do his bidding citing lack of warrant.

Bharti and a top police official were involved in heated exchanges mid-night last night in a South Delhi locality and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday came out in defence of his ministerial colleague.

Previously, Bharti had landed in a controversy after he allegedly rebuked Law Secretary A S Yadav after the official opposed the proposal to convene a meeting of all judges of Delhi courts. Two days back, he had come under severe attack from Congress and BJP over his being indicted by a court for "tampering of evidence" in a case in which he had appeared as a lawyer. 

Bharti was at the centre of another raging row when he tried to raid an alleged drug and prostitution ring but the police refused to do his bidding citing lack of warrant.

Bharti and a top police official were involved in heated exchanges mid-night last night in a South Delhi locality and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today came out in defence of his ministerial colleague.

Attacking the police for refusing to cooperate with Bharti, Kejriwal demanded suspension of two Assistant Commissioners and Station House Officers (SHO) of the Sagarpur and Malviya Nagar police stations for "refusing" to act against the alleged sex and drug ring.

"All of them should be suspended. If they are not suspended, neither Delhi government nor people of Delhi will keep quite," Kejriwal said alleging that "Delhi Police is highly compromised."

Bharti, along with a group of his supporters, had gone to Khirki Village around mid-night last night and had a verbal argument with an ACP rank police official after he refused to conduct a raid at a building.

Bharti alleged that a prostitution and drug racket was being conducted from the building. "We told the SHO and the police men to arrest them but they did not pay any heed to us. They told us that they cannot raid. Then I asked the reason. We called the DCP but he did not answer our call. We have also called CP but he said something else," Bharti claimed.

The Minister claimed that local residents knew that the house was being used to run the racket. A heated argument broke out when police refused to raid the building. Bharti had landed in a controversy after he allegedly rebuked Law Secretary A S Yadav after the official opposed the proposal to convene a meeting of all judges of Delhi courts.

He had come under severe attack from Congress and BJP over his being indicted by a court for "tampering of evidence" in a case in which he had appeared as a lawyer.