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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 13 April broke his silence on the gruesome Kathua and Unnao rape cases, that have rocked the conscience of the nation.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Ambedkar Memorial in New Delhi, the prime minister said that the “guilty” will not be spared. He asserted that “daughters will get justice”, and the government will ensure that happens.
The Prime Minister’s statement comes after the Opposition led by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, and various sections of media pointed to his silence and demanded that he make a statement.
Just hours before Modi’s statement, the Gandhi scion hit out at the PM over his silence on violence against women and children, saying it was "unacceptable" and India was waiting for him to speak up.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday, 13 April, urged incumbent state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to take stringent action against the BJP ministers who are supporting the accused in the Kathua rape case.
The Congress president led a midnight candle-light vigil on Thursday protesting against the two rape cases.
A day later, on Friday, 13 April, citizens gathered in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan protesting the incidents of rape, and demanded that the prime minister take immediate action. In Bengaluru too, people took to the streets demanding that the the PM speaks up.
The chargesheet filed by the J&K police in the Kathua rape case that took place in January revealed that an eight-year-old Muslim girl was held captive in Hindu temple, sedated, raped repeatedly, bludgeoned to death and discarded in a forest by three men.
Lawyers in Jammu and Hindu Ekta Manch members are rallying behind the accused, with two BJP MLAs seen waving the Tricolour as they marched in defence of the accused.
Politicians and lawmakers tried to stop the police from filing a chargesheet in the case, trying to further communalise the issue.
Her father was taken into custody under the Arms Act on 5 April, after allegedly being beaten up by Sengar’s brother and his men. He died in police custody on 9 April.
While in the Unnao case, the CBI has initiated a probe on Thursday, in the Kathua case, those defending the accused are demanding a CBI probe, alleging bias in the J&K Police’s investigation.
(This story was first published at 10 am on 13 April 2018. It was updated at 7:55 PM on the same day with comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi)
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