Ayodhya Gangrape Case: Accused SP Leader’s Bakery Bulldozed; Akhilesh Yadav’s DNA Test Demand Sparks Row — Updates

Samajwadi Party leader Moid Khan and his bakery employee Raju Khan were arrested on July 30 from Ayodhya's Purakalandar area in connection with the gangrape of a 12-year-old girl.

Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh:  The district administration on Saturday razed the bakery of Samajwadi Party leader Moid Khan, who is accused of raping a 12-year-old girl and recording the assault on camera. This comes a day after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met with the victim's mother and asured her of justice. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati backed the bolldozer action taken by CM Yogi and slammed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for demanding a DNA test, asking him how many DNA tests were conducted when he was the UP CM.

Khan and an employee of the bakery were arrested on July 30 from the Purakalandar area of Ayodhya district for gangraping the minor girl.

On Saturday, the authorities raided the bakery where the crime was reportedly committed, and demolished it.

"The bakery had one big room and one small room. It was illegally built over a pond, and has been demolished," Ayodhya's District Magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh told PTI.

Accused Khan is said to be a close associate of SP MP from Faizabad, Awadesh Prasad, said that though the party stands with the victim, a DNA test should be conducted so that innocents are not framed.

He also stated that he has never allowed anyone with even the "slighest connection with the crime" to come near him.

UP Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad, broke down into tears as he met the victim and her family in Ayodhya. He slammed the SP leaders, accusing that they were shielding the accused. He also said that he would hold a protest against this atrocity at the SP office, news agency PTI reported.

Here's what has happened so far:

• Yogi Adityanath-led UP government on Saturday took bulldozer action against the gangrape- accused SP leader Moid Khan, demolishing his bakery completely.


• Following this, BSP chief Mayawati took to X, where she backed the "strict action" taken by the UP government against the accused and said that it was "justified". 


• She also lashed out at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for demanding a DNA test of those who were being accused for the crime.


• Yadav had tweeted: "In the case of misdeeds, the way for justice should be found by getting DNA tests done of those who are accused, and not by merely making allegations and doing politics. Whoever is guilty should be given full punishment according to the law, but if the allegations are proved false after the DNA test, then the government officials involved should also not be spared. This is the demand of justice."


• In a statement issued from the SP headquarters on Saturday, Yadav said, "Without a DNA test in the Bhadarsa case of Ayodhya, BJP's allegation will be considered biased."


• Responding to this demand, Maywati hit out at Yadav saying: "SP should also tell how many DNA tests have been done against such accused in their government..."


• She also said that it would better if the UP government took strict steps to prevent such incidents from happening by rising above politics, caste, and community.


• BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also slammed Akhilesh Yadav over not taking any action against the accused SP leader. "Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party talk about PDA, but now when a 12-year-old girl from the Nishad community is raped and the accused 65-year-old Moeed Khan, who is part of the core team of Samajwadi Party MP from Faizabad, not only commits rape but also makes a video of it. So today Akhilesh Yadav is forgetting PDA and giving clean chit to Moeed Khan," he said.


• Poonawalla further questioned: "Does he not trust a 12-year-old girl? ... Why has he not been expelled yet? Today the question arises that a daughter of PDA community is raped and Akhilesh Yadav is not able to expel Moeed Khan because the vote bank has become too heavy for PDA..."

• BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya also came down heavily at Yadav over his DNA test demand saying in a post on X that SP was asking for evidence despite the victim being pregnant "because she belongs to the Nishad community and the brute belongs to the vote bank."


• "What do they want to prove with the DNA test? Who all were involved in the gangrape, will this be decided on the basis of the DNA test? Is the rapist who made the girl pregnant the only one guilty of rape?" Malviya asked.


•  Meanwhile, Nishad party chief, said after meeting the victims that "I will appeal to all parties that a tyrant doesn't have any caste, don't take his side. I will go to the Samajwadi Party office and protest against such a tyrant, Nishad said after meeting the victim's family." 


• SP MP Awadesh Prasad, whose close associate is said to be accused leader Moid Khan, said: "I have never allowed anyone to come near me who has even the slightest connection with the crime. I have never taken any kind of help from them. As far as the photo (with the accused) is concerned. Lakhs of people click pictures with us, take selfies... BJP should not do this kind of politics..."


•  Prasad also demanded that the government should carry out DNA tests and "innocents should not be framed."


• Calling the incident "painful and shameful", the Faizabad MP also said that the people involved in the matter should be investigated and action should be taken against the guilty with "full force".


• "And as far as the victim is concerned, our party completely stands with the victim. It is unfortunate that the Bharatiya Janata Party is doing politics on this. I humbly request such people that this is not a moment for politics," he added.

• Both Moid Khan and his bakery employee Raju Khan were arrested on July 30 from Ayodhya's Purakalandar area. 


• The Puralandakar police station in-charge Ratan Sharma and Bhadarsa outpost in-charge Akhilesh Gupta were suspended.


• The police stated that the accused duo had raped the minor girl two months ago and had also recorded the act.


• The crime was only uncovered after the victim was found to be pregnant, following a medical examination.


• Ayodhya SSP Raj Karan Nayyar also stated that Khan used the recorded video to intimidate and threaten the victim. He continued to sexually abuse her for over two-and-a-half months. His employee Raju Khan was also involved in this.


• UP CM Yogi Adityanath had met the victim's family at his residence in Lucknow, where he assured them that they will get justice and that the guilty will be given the strictest punishment.


• Yogi also questioned as to why Samajwadi Party did not take any action against its leader.


• "The culprits will not be spared at any cost, (and) strict action will be taken against them. We are committed to getting justice for the girl," the UP CM posted, sharing the picture of the meeting with the family on X, with their faces blurred.