Ayodhya rape case: Akhilesh demands DNA test, Maya raises questions

Lucknow, Aug 3 : Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday demanded a DNA test of Moin Khan, the SP leader accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in Ayodhya, even as Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati raised questions about the SP.

Moin Khan is a close associate of Samajwadi Party MP from Faizabad, Awadhesh Prasad.

Earlier in the day, the district administration demolished Moin Khan’s bakery in the Purakalandar police station area of Ayodhya where the accused, along with his servant, allegedly raped the girl.

Taking to microblogging site X, Akhilesh said, “Justice can be met by getting DNA tests done of those 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 proven false after the DNA test, then the government officials involved should also not be spared. This is the demand for justice.”

Mayawati reacted to Akhilesh, saying, “The strict action being taken by the UP government against the accused in the Ayodhya gangrape case is justified, but what should be understood by the SP saying that the DNA test of the accused should be done. The SP should also tell how many DNA tests have been done against such accused in their government.”

“Amid the growing concerns about crime control and law and order in UP, especially about women's safety and harassment, the incidents in Ayodhya and Lucknow are extremely sad and worrying. It would be better if the government takes strict steps to prevent these by rising above caste, community and politics,” she added.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Friday raised the rape issue in the Assembly. Cornering the Samajwadi Party, he had asked why no action had been taken against the SP leader till now. Yogi had said that no culprit would be spared.