UP Congress says not allowed to meet rape survivor, alleges administration trying to 'hide' case

Ajay Rai along with the party's general secretary and party in-charge for UP, Avinash Pande had gone to meet the rape survivor in Veerangana Jhalkari Bai Women Hospital in Lucknow.

Lucknow: UP Congress chief Ajay Rai on Tuesday accused the administration of attempting to "hide" the case of a minor who was allegedly raped here and left in a field with her legs and hands tied as he was not allowed to meet the girl in the hospital.

Rai along with the party's general secretary and party in-charge for UP, Avinash Pande had gone to meet the rape survivor in Veerangana Jhalkari Bai Women Hospital in Lucknow.

However, they were not allowed to meet the girl. Following this, Rai said, "The girl is safe, and her medical treatment is going on. We were not able to meet the rape survivor, as they (doctors) did not allow us to meet her." "The administration deployed police force at the gate and stopped our workers from meeting her. This means that the incident is a big one, and an attempt is being made to hide it," Rai told PTI.

He said that the party leaders met the family members of the survivor and extended some financial help.

A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped here on Monday and was found in the field with her hands and legs tied, police said earlier.

The minor was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where her condition was stable, they said.

Her family found her lying in a field in the Chinhat area with her hands and legs tied with a 'dupatta', Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Shashank Singh said quoting the FIR lodged in the case.

Police have lodged a case based on a complaint by the girl's family under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 64 (1) (rape) and Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

Three police teams were formed to crack the case, the officer added. SHO of Chinhat police station Avnish Kumar Chaturvedi on Tuesday said that initially, the minor girl was admitted at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, from where she was shifted to Veerangana Jhalkari Bai Women Hospital.

Meanwhile, the survivor's elder sister on Tuesday told PTI Videos, "She had woken up at 3.00 am but did not return home till 4.00 am. Following this, family members started to search for her." "Till 8.00 am, we didn't find her. After this, my husband and I went to Barabanki to search for her and my brother went to the local police outpost to inform the police," she said.

"Later, someone told my brother that my younger sister was seen with her hands tied. We reached the spot and brought her to the hospital for treatment. She told us that all she could remember is that there were three boys who sprayed something on her face," she said.