Under attack by the Opposition over rape incidents in Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Mayawati has called a high-level meet of state officials on June 27 and also announced amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrP) making harsher provisions for the guilty.

"Keeping in view incidents of rape and other crimes against women, my government has decided to effect some important amendments in the CrPC," Mayawati told reporters here.

She said section 437 and 439 of the CrPC would be amended to ensure the trial is completed within six months and the cases of assault will be made non-bailable.

"Provision will be made that the accused does not get bail till the time he is proved innocent," she said.

Mayawati said that an ordinance to this effect was being forwarded to the governor.

Mayawati said a state-level meeting of police and administrative officers has been called on June 27 in the state capital.

"I myself will chair the meeting...directives will be issued to launch a month long campaign at all police stations," she said.

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Congress to protest over rising crime against women in UP

Congress women's wing would stage a demonstration here in the first week of July to protest against sudden spurt in crime against women in Uttar Pradesh, UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said on Tuesday.

"It has been decided that the party's women wing will stage a massive demonstration in the state capital in the first week of July and in the meantime protests will be held in all the districts this week," Joshi said.

Accusing the state Women Commission of working as a BSP agent, Joshi demanded that it should be dissolved immediately.

"Is the commission silent because its chairperson is a relative of a prominent BSP leader. What action has the body taken in the recent cases of rapes and atrocities against women?" she questioned.

Joshi said that the recent cases have proved that law and order situation has hit rock bottom in the state.

"The government and its leadership is turning out to be a blot on the state. Such a government has no right to continue in the power even for a second," she said.

The UPCC president alleged that "there could be nothing more shameful than spurt in cases of atrocities against women during the tenure of a woman chief minister." PTI

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The Congress on Monday slammed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, claiming that the recent rapes in the state were a sign of the slipping hold of the chief minister on law and order.

"Mayawati, as a woman herself, has not shown an iota of seriousness in tacking the worst form of atrocities against women," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said at a press meet.

Calling attention to the reports of six rapes in the last two days, she said that the UP chief minister hardly initiated any serious action to nab the rapists. Instead, her administration adopted a kneejerk reaction transferring and suspending a few police officials, she added.

"We had called her up for restoration of law and order but no action has been taken," the Congress spokesperson said.

"There have been horrific and terrible atrocities against women recently in Uttar Pradesh, particularly gainst those from the disadvantaged sections of the society, the dalits," she added.

Terming the incidents a serious blot on the civil society and gross volations of human rights, Natarajan decried UP's conviction rate in such cases as "abysmally low".

Natarajan said that Mayawati had no moral rights to continue in office as law and order is rapidly deteriorating.

"There are members of the ruling party in the state who have been charged with crimes against women," she said, calling for  Mayawati to step down "in light of these failures".

Five rapes in Uttar Pradesh in two days

Woman raped, burnt and left for dead in Etah, two teenagers raped in Firozabad, Gonda

Etah/Firozabad

A woman was allegedly raped and burnt alive in Etah while two teenagers were raped in Firozabad and Gonda districts of Uttar Pradesh which has been rocked by series of cases of brutal assault on women in the last two days.

With the fresh three incidents, a total of five cases of rape have been registered in the last two days.

In Etah, a 35-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and burnt alive by three persons in Nidhauli area last night.

The woman was allegedly raped and set on fire by three persons belonging to an influential family in Sabhapur village when she was in her house along with her two minor children, police said.

An FIR has been lodged and station officer Nidhauli Narendra Pal Singh has been removed from the post. Singh had initially ruled out rape and murder and said the woman had committed suicide.

"Around 2.30 am five persons entered the house of Shishupal Yadav of which the woman identified three as Sunil Yadav, Suman Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav," special director general of police Brij Lal told reporters in Lucknow.

He said that as per the statement given by the woman only one Sunil raped her. "When she raised an alarm the accused set her on fire.The woman had given dying declaration in which she has mentioned of being raped by only one person," Brij Lal said.

He said senior officers were on the spot and post mortem procedure would be videographed.

The victim's brother Virseh said, "Five persons first tried to strangulate my sister and then raped her. Since my sister recognised them, they doused her with kerosene and set her ablaze. When she was nearly dead, they left the spot."

In Firozabad, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by one Shanu, with whom the victim was involved in a relationship, and his aide Gatua, superintendent of police Manjila Saini said.

Shanu had been arrested after the girl's family members lodged an FIR.

Another case of rape and murder was reported in Gonda.

Brij Lal said a 16-year-old Dalit girl was raped and killed in Karnilganj area in Gonda district.

The body of Asha, who went missing on June 17, was recovered from a field in Kaitholi village late last evening, superintendent of police Durga Charan Mishra said.

He said that the victim's father had lodged an FIR against three persons Nanke, Mitahilal and Bahadur of which two have been arrested.

This is the fifth rape case reported in the state in the last two days.

A dalit girl was stabbed in the eyes allegedly by two youths when she resisted a rape attempt in Kannauj on Saturday.

In another incident, an 18-year-old dalit girl was allegedly raped by a youth in Ranipur Beladi village in Basti.

Satti Singh allegedly raped the girl at gun point on Saturday night.

The rising number of rape cases have triggered protests by opposition parties in the state.

The Congress has slammed the Mayawati government over the law and order situation in the state saying it had lost its moral right to continue after such incidents.

"Mayawati should be ashamed. People expected more from a woman chief minister but she doesn't have a word of sympathy," state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi had said.

But an unfazed Mayawati government said there is no breakdown of law and order in the state and stern and prompt action was being taken against the culprits.

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No rape, claim UP police in a different case

Say medical reports do not corroborate charges by 20-year-old girl

Lucknow

A 20-year-old girl has alleged that she was held captive and gang raped for two days in a hotel in Kanpur but the police have denied the claim saying that the medical reports do not corroborate the allegation.

"The girl today lodged an FIR that she was held captive for two days at a hotel in Kanpur and was raped for two days, but preliminary inquiry has indicated that prima facie the allegations are wrong," Special Director General of Police Brij Lal told reporters here.

The girl claimed that she got separated from her brother on June 17 at Rawatpur railway station and was later drugged by a youth, Lal said.

"She said that when she gained consciousness, she found herself in a hotel where the manager had locked her up," he added.

The SDG said that an inquiry revealed that the girl checked in at the hotel along with a youth Ashfaq on the night of June 17.

"The girl used a pseudo name and they left within couple of hours. In fact, the room where the girl claimed she was held captive, was allotted to some other persons next day," Lal said.

The identification submitted by the youth at the hotel bore an Etawah address. A police team has been dispatched to Etawah, he added.

(PTI)