Akhilesh seeks DNA test, asks BJP not to do politics on crime

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said DNA tests must be performed to pin the culprits in Bhadrasa gang rape case of Ayodhya to expedite the process of justice. Till such time, the BJP-led NDA government in the state must refrain from indulging in blame-game to further its political agenda, he said.The former UP CM also demanded that the government must extend a financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh immediately to the rape survivor’s family.The BJP has been pointing fingers at the SP after photographs of party’s newly elected Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad sitting with the prime accused Moeed Khan surfaced on social media. Moeed happens to be a functionary of the SP as well. The BJP and its allies have been going hammer and tongs after Awadhesh Prasad accusing him of having backed the accused at one point of time.Meanwhile, SP’s Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad said that the truth should be found out and the innocent should not be framed. “As far as this incident is concerned, it is very painful and shameful. Everyone involved in this crime should be interrogated and the truth should be found out. Strict action should be taken against the guilty. Our party is in solidarity with the survivor and her family,” Prasad told reporters, hitting out at the BJP for doing politics over the crime. “This is not a moment for politics. Innocents should not be framed and a DNA test should be conducted. The survivor should be helped financially,” he said, maintaining that he never allowed a criminal to come close to him. “As far as the photo (with the accused) is concerned, lakhs of people click pictures with us, take selfies. BJP should not do politics of this kind,” he added.The SP chief said the UP govt has failed to control crime and only made hollow claims of zero tolerance towards crime and criminals. He said one can imagine the extent of lawlessness with what happened in Gomtinagar recently. More than a hundred people gathered near Ambedkar Park, harassed commuters and misbehaved with women publicly for hours barely 100 metres from the offices of senior police officers. This is how afraid the hoodlums are by the police, the SP chief said.The SP brass claimed that this was not the first time that the BJP government was indulging in pointing fingers at the SP. A senior functionary pointed the recent Allahabad HC stay order on the arrest of former SP MLA Rameshwar Singh Yadav in a case of gang rape. “The HC has asked the IO to explain how the chargesheet states that Rameshwar was in Etah on the day and time when the crime was committed while the former MLA’s lawyer claims that he was attending the assembly proceedings in Lucknow when the crime took place in Etah,” said a senior functionary.