A long and turbulent path to justice in UP According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, Uttar Pradesh has seen a dramatic d...
A long and turbulent path to justice in UP
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, Uttar Pradesh has seen a dramatic drop in most crimes, including cases of violence against women. The state government has of course attributed this to the mighty power of its chief minister, Adityanath. But even if this were true, to say the struggle for justice is long in UP, especially for women, is a huge understatement.
In Article14, Mani Chander looks at two better known cases of rape in UP, both connected to politicians, and the multiple hurdles the women have faced in their fight for justice. In both cases, the complainants had to set themselves on fire to get media attention, and both alleged police inaction. Also in both instances, they sought to transfer their cases out of the state for a fair trial. This appears to be just a drop in the ocean of their troubles.
“A quick search of media reporting reveals a series of self-immolations by women in rape and sexual-assault cases that did not come to public attention,” Chander writes. “These cases illustrate the lack of faith and injustice against women in UP. The fact that these women chose government buildings and offices to register their protest in...
