Gang rape in India: anger at the leader of the state of Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu extremist
Rally of anger against the head of the regional government of Uttar Pradesh, on October 3 in Bombay, after the rape of an "untouchable".
(AP Photo / Rajanish Kakade)
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In India, a young low-caste woman died of gang rape in the northern Uttar Pradesh region of the country.
A crime allegedly perpetrated by members of upper castes.
Local police deny that there was any rape, and burned the victim's body without her family's consent, preventing further investigation.
This caused a scandal across the country.
To respond, the regional government, run by a Hindu extremist, responded with severe repression by launching sedition proceedings against journalists who stand up to it.
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From our correspondent in New Delhi
,
Sébastien Farcis
"
It is an international plot intended to sully the image of my government
."
Here is how the head of the regional government responds to
the clamor demanding justice for the gang rape victim
.
Uttar Pradesh police say journalists, whom they do not name, allegedly wanted to pay the victim's family for talking about rape.
And she thus initiates anonymous prosecutions for sedition and 18 other severe charges.
For Sharat Pradhan, an independent journalist in the region, this repression is the hallmark of this government: “
The chief minister does not tolerate any form of dissent, and this attitude comes from his past as head of a religious congregation.
The media which want to reveal the truth are therefore intimidated and considered as traitors.
This leader regularly invokes this anti-sedition law, and this time again, these anonymous accusations will allow him to involve anyone he wants.
This man, a real despot, does not believe in democratic values.
"
A similar crackdown hit protesters who opposed the citizenship law earlier this year.
In Uttar Pradesh, journalists and activists have been beaten and arrested, and in New Delhi they have been charged with criminal conspiracy and even terrorist activity.
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