Unnao rape victim buried after govt promises job, police security

The Unnao rape victim was buried by her family on Sunday after they had refused to carry out her last rites demanding a visit by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

The 24-year-old woman was buried in one of the fields owned by her family on the outskirts of her village in police presence after being persuaded by senior government officials.

Lucknow’s divisional commissioner Mukesh Meshram and inspector general of police SK Bhagat spoke to the woman’s father and brother for an hour before they agreed to bury the woman.

The family wanted Yogi Adityanath to visit them as well as provide a job to the youngest daughter. She had said earlier that her sister had got a job in a bank and was to join in a day or two before she was burnt alive by five men, including her rapists, on Thursday.

State labour minister Swami Prasad Maurya and minister in-charge for Unnao Kamal Rani Varun also attended the funeral and spoke to the family.

The Unnao rape victim’s 65-year-old father talked to the additional chief secretary Avnish Awasthi on the phone in their presence and he assured the government will consider their demand for a job to one of the family members.

“The family has been provided with security and two houses under PM housing scheme will be given on priority,” Unnao’s district magistrate Devendra Pandey said.

Pandey said if the victim’s family wants, they will be given a licence to hold weapons.

Adityanath, who is under pressure by the opposition to resign over the Unnao rape incident, had on Saturday announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh for her family.

Senior UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, who had been sent to Unnao by the chief minister to meet the bereaved family, also made a similar announcement. Besides Rs 25 lakh, the family will be given a government house, he said.

This morning, former Congress lawmaker Anu Tandon gave the family Rs 5 lakh on behalf of the party.

The woman was gang-raped in December last year but the case was registered only in March this year. She was airlifted to New Delhi and admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital after she suffered 90% burns in Thursday’s assault. She died of cardiac arrest late on Friday night.

Opposition parties have demanded chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s resignation over the death of the Unnao rape victim and slammed his government over the rising crimes against women in the state.

Congress’ general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the victim’s family to express her condolences and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav staged a sit-in protest outside the state assembly in Lucknow.

The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati called on Governor Anandiben Patel, urging her to ask the UP government to ensure justice to the woman’s family.

A spate of sexual assaults, including 51 cases of rape, have been reported in Unnao district over the last 11 months, data from Uttar Pradesh police show. During the past two years, 24 minors have also been raped in the district, officials said.

Police said that 185 cases of stalking and attempt to rape have also been registered between January to November this year in Unnao.