Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Sunday defended Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, after his demand to conduct a DNA test of the two men accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in Ayodhya sparked outrage. Dikshit asserted that Uttar Pradesh had become a stage for political maneuvering between the ruling party and the opposition, rather than a place focused on dispensing justice.
Dikshit, the son of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, argued that DNA tests have been employed in the past to identify culprits in rape cases. He told PTI, “What Akhilesh Yadav is asking, the DNA tests, have been used in cases like these in the past to find out, verify the accused, or the police, administration suspect.” He further criticized the tendency to politicize rape cases in Uttar Pradesh, stating that they should be treated as matters of justice rather than political fodder.
Defending Yadav, Dikshit stated, “There is nothing amiss in what Akhilesh Yadav is saying,” emphasizing that the Samajwadi Party chief’s call for a DNA test was not unreasonable.
Dikshit expressed his concern about the state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh, describing them as “very sad.” He lamented that the state had become a battleground for political gamesmanship rather than a place where justice prevails.
On Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav had demanded a DNA test of the two men accused of raping the 12-year-old girl. He stated, “Without a DNA test in the Bhadarsa case of Ayodhya, BJP’s allegation will be considered biased.” Meanwhile, the BJP accused the SP chief of defending a “paedophile”.
Yadav, in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), urged the government to prioritize the well-being of the rape survivor, stating, “The government should make the best possible medical arrangements for the rape survivor. It is the government’s responsibility to protect the girl’s life.”
