HYDERABAD: The decision of the Gujarat government to give remission from life-term prison sentences for 11 men found guilty of a gang rape of a woman, and murder, in Dahod district of Gujarat became the focus of a pointed attack by IT minister K.T. Rama Rao and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday.
Rama Rao, who tweeted on the subject, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence I-Day speech included the issue of respect for women. But his home state of Gujarat had acted in a contradictory manner, Rama Rao said.
In a tweet targeting Modi on the Bilkis Bano case, Rama Rao said “Bhashan: Respect women; Kaam: Release 11 rapists using Gujarat government’s power of remission the same day. Home state of PM leading by example.”
The remission to the 11 men also came under fire from Owaisi, the Hyderabad MP, who slammed Modi and questioned how the Gujarat government could release the rapists who not only raped the woman who was five months pregnant at that time but also killed her daughter, raped four other women in the house and murdered them.
Owaisi told reporters that Modi, in his Independence Day speech on Monday, asked the country to take a pledge not to act in any manner that lowers the dignity of women. On the same day, the Gujarat government released the 11 rapists who also murdered seven members of her family, he said.
Owaisi condemning the release, said the BJP only provides lip service to women of the country, and questioned if release of the rapists and murders fo women was empowering Indian women.
The AIMIM leader slammed the Prime Minister over the murder of a Kashmiri Pandit in Shopian alleging the Centre failed to provide security to Kashmiri Pandits, and said the BJP appointed Lieutenant Governor in that state have failed to protect lives of members of the community.
He said the claim that scrapping Article 370 will help people has proved to be false. The BJP government at the Centre is responsible for the lives of Kashmiri Pandits, he said.
