Badaun rape victims did not belong to SC/ST caste: UP government

Lucknow: With the Centre sending a letter to the Uttar Pradesh government asking why SC/ST Act was not slapped against the accused in the Badaun gangrape case, the Home Department here clarifying its stand on Monday claiming, the victims did not belong to the said caste.

"The caste of the victims does not attract the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act", IG, Law and Order Amrendra Sengar here said.

"There is no confusion at the district level in this matter as the caste of the victims does not come under the Scheduled Caste or Tribe," the official said.

The official said that he was not aware whether the letter recommending CBI inquiry into the case, as announced by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has been sent to the Centre or not so far.

Earlier today, the Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in Delhi said, "The law is there. It is to protect the SCs and STs from atrocities. It was a clear case of atrocity on a weaker section of the society. We do not know why the state government has not slapped it (clauses) against the accused."

Rijiju said the letter to the UP government has been sent today. According to sources, the two cousin sisters belonged to "shakya" caste which come under the category of backward castes.

Meanwhile he said, "Sketches of the two unidentified accused are being prepared", adding, efforts were on to establish their identities.

Five accused-- three brothers Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Yadav and Urvesh Yadav and constables Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav ---have been arrested in the case that has sparked nation-wide outrage.

The two teenage girls, who were cousins aged 14 and 15 years, were allegedly gangraped and murdered with their bodies found hanging from a mango tree in a village in Ushait area in Badaun.

The girls went missing on May 27 and their bodies were found the next day. Badaun is 300 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

The family of the Badaun rape victimstoday alleged that they have received threats and demanded security from Central forces, saying they do not trust the state police.

Family receives threat calls

"We are receiving threats. We are being told that who will protect us once the media leaves the village and politicians stop frequenting us," said the father of the victim.

Politicians across parties, including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, have visited the family over the week.

The father also said that the family does not trust the state police and so they should be given protection by Central forces. The Uttar Pradesh government has deployed state police personnel for the family's protection.

"If they (state police) could not give security to our daughters then what kind of security will they provide us. The police was drunk (when the family first approached them). Why was the police not capable of returning our daughters?" he said.

Two teenage cousins aged 14 and 15 were allegedly gangraped and murdered and their bodies were found hanging from a tree in Katra Sadatganj village in Badaun, 300 kms from Lucknow.

The girls went missing on May 27 and their bodies were found on May 28. The postmortem report of the victims confirmed that they were raped before hanging.