PM Modi orders strictest action in Varanasi gang rape case

Varanasi, Apr 11 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday directed senior officials to take the "strictest possible action" in the alleged gang-rape of a 19-year-old woman in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi soon after he landed at the airport here.

Meanwhile, the woman's mother said she wanted to meet the PM and tell him about her daughter's trauma.

Modi, who arrived in Varanasi in the morning to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of several development projects, was briefed about the case by the police commissioner, the divisional commissioner and the district magistrate at the airport, according to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government.

"He instructed them to take the strictest possible action against the culprits and to implement appropriate measures to prevent such incidents in the future," the statement said.

The woman was allegedly gang-raped by 23 individuals over six days between March 29 and April 4. According to police, the accused drugged the woman and moved her between multiple hotels in the city during this period. Her family filed a police complaint on April 6.

The case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 70(1) (gang rape), 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 127(2) (wrongful confinement) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).

As of Friday, 12 of the 23 accused had been arrested. The accused in custody have been identified as Raj Vishwakarma, Sameer, Ayush, Sohail, Danish, Anmol, Sajid, Zahir, Imran, Jaib, Aman and Raj Khan.

Police said they are "continuously conducting raids" to locate and apprehend the remaining 11 unidentified suspects.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Cantonment) Vidush Saxena confirmed the arrests and said, "We are making all efforts to ensure that no one involved in this heinous crime escapes the law." The survivor's mother told PTI over the phone that she wished to meet PM Modi.

"I want to meet our PM Narendra Modi and narrate my daughter's trauma. I want the people who committed such a heinous crime with my daughter to be given the harshest punishment so that in future, everyone thinks a thousand times before subjecting any girl to such barbarity," she said.

"Modi ji enquiring about the case shows that he is concerned about us," she said after PTI informed her that the PM asked officials about her daughter's case and ordered prompt action against the accused.

The woman's mother said the incident has left her daughter deeply traumatised.

"She is not keeping well. The trauma has had a deep impact on her psyche," the mother said, adding that police have been cooperating with the family throughout.

This was Prime Minister Modi's 50th visit to Varanasi since assuming office in 2014, according to BJP's metropolitan unit president Pradeep Agrahari.

During his visit, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of 44 projects worth Rs 3,880 crore here.

"Our guiding mantra in serving the nation has always been 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. With this spirit, we continue to move forward for the betterment of every citizen," he said.

"Kashi meri hai aur main Kashi ka hoon (Varanasi belongs to me and I belong to Varanasi)," the prime minister said in his address, according to a statement. PTI