December 16 like incident in UP: Hooliganism on spree; Akhilesh Government clueless

After entire nation came out in protest of the gruesome December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape case, another such horrific incident of same gravity was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow. To make matters worse, cops have not yet found any breakthrough that might help to identify the culprits.

Chilling reminder of horrific Nirbhaya gang rape incident:

The heinous crime, even surpassing the brutality of the Nirbhaya case, once again reflects the failure of law and order in Uttar Pradesh. This gruesome incident comes close on the heels of a revelation that Akhilesh Yadav Government has been consistently downsizing the budget allocation for state women's commission.

What is the case?

The badly mutilated body of a 25-year-old woman, allegedly gang raped and murdered, was found outside a private school in Mohanlalganj area of Lucknow yesterday. The victim, identified as an employee at the PGI hospital located in the capital, was tormented to death and left naked in the open.

A panel of six doctors, which examined the body, noted a total of 12 injuries, abrasions and contusions on the corpse with maximum severity doled out below abdomen.

"Blunt objects such as wooden stick were thrust inside vaginal and anal area to inflict pain," a doctor from the panel was quoted as saying.

As per a TOI report, the assailants tore off the clothes of the female at the school compound. At least three to four assailants are suspected to have dragged her towards that part of the school where there are cement benches that serve students attending classes.

Evidence suggests victim was forced to lie on the bench as men took turns to rape her. One of her earrings and hair strands were recovered under one bench. Her stole, kurti, and slippers were found scattered around.

The rapists seem to have dealt lathi blows on her face, chest and waist and on legs and drove a stick into her private parts. As she started bleeding excessively, the men dragged her to a classroom and continue abusing her sexually, said the report.

What has the Government done so far?

Facing immediate media uproar the State administration sprang into action and suspended Inspector Kamruddin and Sub Inspector Munni Lal of the Mohanlalganj Police Station for negligence.

Blunt objects were thrust inside her private parts

What highlights the appalling condition of law and order in the state that the region was barely six kilometers away from the place where of former US President Bill Clinton visited on Monday. Despite high alert, the perpetrators on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday committed the gory act and it came to police's attention only after locals informed in the morning. But, it took nearly two hours for the cops to arrive on the spot.

According to latest reports, Additional Director General of Police Sutapa Sanyal and her team will investigate the heinous crime.
Reacting to the horrific incident, State BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpai said, "Rome is burning and Nero continues to play flute."

Akhilesh Government under flak again:

Akhilesh Yadav Government has been facing major embarrassment over deteriorating law and order in the state, especially, due to a spurt in gang rapes and crimes against women. The Government was recently criticised for buying two Mercedes cars and two Land Cruiser SUVs while scaling down the budget for state women's commission.

A Right to Information (RTI) query posed by social activist Urvashi Sharma revealed that in its three years of governance the Samajwadi Party government has slashed the budgetary allocations made to the state women's commission. The budget of the women's panel was cut by over by almost 85 per cent in between 2011-12 and 2013-14. While in 2011-12, the commission received Rs 5.1 crore in financial grants and this went down to Rs 4.16 crore, of which Rs 3.9 crore was spent.

The horrific Badaun case - which created headlines in the foreign media and evoked sharp criticism for the Akhilesh government - is still being probed. But, it seems the state government has not learnt anything from its past mistakes and come up with measures to check increasing cases of crimes against women.