Kathua, Unnao cases: PM Modi faces heat as former bureaucrats hold govt responsible
With the people across the country staging protests over the rape incidents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua and Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing the heat after a group of 49 retired civil servants penned a strong-worded open letter to him.
Holding PM Modi responsible for what they called a “terrifying state of affairs”, the letter expressed concern over the secular, democratic, and liberal values enshrined in our constitution being demolished.
Terming it as the government’s failure in performing the most basic of the responsibilities given to it by the people, the letter said, “The bestiality and the barbarity involved in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old child shows the depths of depravity that we have sunk into. In post-Independence India, this is our darkest hour and we find the response of our Government, the leaders of our political parties inadequate and feeble.”
The gangrape and murder of the 8-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district shocked the entire nation after a police charge sheet exposed the chilling details of the case. Citizens shared deep concern and outrage across various parts of the country on Sunday as they came out on the streets with candles and placards demanding justice. Marches and sit in protests were held in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Ajmer, Bhopal and Chandigarh.
The girl, who was kidnapped on January 10 and was drugged, starved, repeatedly gang-raped over the next one week before being strangled and her head bashed in.
A 17-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao attempted suicide last Sunday outside Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath's house claiming to have been raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brother.
Her father was mercilessly thrashed, allegedly by MLA Sengar’s brother for his refusal to withdraw the case and died in police custody on Monday.
The former bureaucrats called these two incidents as “a moment of existential crisis, a turning point”, the letter suggested the Prime Minister take five measures focusing on capping hate crimes, offering special protection to Muslims, Dalits, minorities, women and children.