Banda rape victim threatens to go on hunger strike

The Dalit girl, who was raped allegedly by Bahujan Samaj Party Member of Legislative Assembly Purshottam Naresh Dwiwedi, on Tuesday threatened to go on a 'hunger strike' to protest against her 'house arrest', but later withdrew it.

The girl on Tuesday morning told reporters that she will go on a hunger strike, but later withdrew it after meeting a women's delegation of the Samajwadi Party.

The girl alleged that she is 'literally under house arrest' and the police were not allowing any visitor to meet her without frisking and entering their names in a register.

"Along with justice and security, I should be allowed to live with freedom," the 17-year-old girl said.

The victim said she wants to go to the city but the police have confined her to Shahbazpur village. Meanwhile, her brother Shantu could not be located for two hours this morning and this also prompted her to observe a hunger strike.

"My brother left me for two hours this morning, after which I announced my decision to observe a hunger strike, but he came back later," she said.

A fact finding committee of SP led by Member of Parliament Sushila Saroj met the girl and inquired about the incident, besides offering a financial assistance of Rs two lakhs to her.

Meanwhile, a man from Kanpur on Tuesday proposed to marry the rape victim.

"Rajesh Shukla, a resident of Kalyanpur in Kanpur, who is posted as a class four employee in the Panchayati Raj department, reached Banda and proposed to marry the girl," sources said.