Chandramukhi Devi, a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), courted controversy on Thursday after she said that the gangrape and murder in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun could have been avoided had the victim not ventured out late in the evening.
Chandramukhi Devi visited the kin of victim on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, she said, "Even if she is under pressure from someone, a woman should keep track of time and should not venture out late. I wonder if the victim had not gone out alone in the evening, or gone with a family member, she could have been saved." However, she withdrew her statement later.
Meanwhile, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has strongly condemned Chandramukhi Devi's statement. "It's not @NCWIndia's view and I strongly condemn it," she said. "I don't know how and why the member (Devi) has said this but women have all the right move on their will whenever and wherever they want to. It's society and state's duty to make places safe for women," she added.
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The 50-year-old anganwadi worker was gang raped and murdered allegedly by a priest and his two accomplices in Ughaiti area of Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district.
She had gone to a temple to offer her prayers at around 6 pm on Sunday. When she did not return for two-three hours, the family approached the police. However, their pleas went unheard. Later, the accused dumped her body outside her house at night. According to the victim’s family when they rushed to the Ughaiti police station to file a complaint, the station in-charge refused to listen to them and said that he will take up the matter the next day.
The FIR was registered on Tuesday evening after the post-mortem examination revealed that the woman had sustained multiple injuries, including several on her private parts. The autopsy report said that the woman's private parts were brutalized.
Senior Superintendent of Police Sankalp Sharma said that disciplinary action had been taken against the local policemen for negligence.
Meanwhile, the priest is on the run, though his two accomplices were arrested on Tuesday night.
