New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday launched a scathing attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal after a senior Delhi government official was detained for allegedly raping his deceased friend's minor daughter and causing her pregnancy.
BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj questioned the Kejriwal government over the delay in suspending the rape-accused official and also questioned Delhi Minister Atishi's silence on the issue.
Addressing a press conference, Swaraj said, "When FIR was filed on August 13, why so much time was taken to suspend the official, and why minister Atishi is silent on the issue."
Notably, earlier in the day, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ordered his suspension and sought a report from Chief Secretary by 5 pm today.
BJP Delhi state president Virendra Sachdeva accused the Kejriwal government of appointing the rape-accused officer as OSD to the Minister of Women and Child Department, claiming that the officer charged with raping a minor was the Kejriwal government's favourite.
However, Atishi refuted the claims that the now-suspended official worked as OSD with her in the WCD. "This is a completely false thing. He (the accused) has never worked with me as an OSD," she said.
Speaking on the horrific incident, Atishi said, "It's a shocking incident as this accused was an officer in the Women and Child department. It's worrying as he's being charged with rape against a minor girl. I hope that the Delhi police will do the proceedings fast...As soon as Delhi CM (Arvind Kejriwal) got to know about the incident he (Arvind Kejriwal) gave the orders to the concerned officer to suspend the accused officer."
Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal sat on a protest at a hospital on Monday after she alleged that she was not allowed to meet the minor girl. "The (accused) Delhi government official has exerted clout that's why he was not arrested for 10 days by Delhi Police. We have come here to meet the victim but we are not allowed by police to do so," she told PTI.
The incident came to light when the girl, presently in Class 12, disclosed the events to a counsellor at a hospital where she sought treatment for an anxiety attack.
According to a PTI report, police filed a case against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Charges include rape, modesty outrage, criminal intimidation, causing harm, miscarriage without consent, criminal conspiracy, and POCSO Act provisions, it added.