It took 60 days for authorities to apprehend the three individuals responsible for the gang rape of a B.Tech student on the IIT-BHU campus.
According to the Times of India, Kunal Pandey and Saksham Patel, two of the three men arrested on Saturday, have reportedly confessed to the crime.
Pandey, residing in Sunderpur’s Brij Enclave Colony, and Patel, originally from Bajardiha, are reportedly affiliated with the BJP’s IT cell. Pandey is mentioned as the convenor of the city unit while Patel serves as its co-convenor, as per Navratan Rathi, BJP’s Kashi media in-charge. The third accused, Anand, is from Jivadhipur Bajardiha.
While the Times of India stated that two of the three have ties to the IT Cell, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair highlighted that all three individuals are, indeed, associated with the BJP’s IT Cell.
Kashi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) R.S. Gautam mentioned on Sunday that the three individuals could potentially face charges under the National Security Act and the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The motorbike, mobile phone used during the crime, and other electronic evidence have been seized. Additionally, the criminal backgrounds of the arrested individuals are currently under investigation, as reported by TOI.
The survivor lodged a complaint on November 2, prompting Lanka Police to file an FIR under sections 354B, 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and 66E of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Subsequently, following the student’s statement recorded before a magistrate on November 8, additional charges of gangrape (Section 376 D) and outraging a woman’s modesty (Section 509) were added.
According to the survivor’s account, while walking outside her hostel with a friend from the institute on November 1, they were intercepted by the accused on a motorbike near the Karmanbir Baba temple on campus. The survivor was forcibly separated from her friend, taken behind bushes, and assaulted.
The incident led to widespread protests on campus, with thousands of students demanding enhanced security measures and swift police intervention in the case. The delay in apprehending the accused further fueled protests near the institute director’s office.
Initial protests witnessed clashes between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP), All India Students Association (AISA), and the Bhagat Singh Chatra Morcha (BCM). Subsequently, a woman linked with ABVP filed a complaint, which the police converted into an FIR against 18 individuals, including AISA and BCM members.
In November, UP Congress President Ajay Rai accused the BJP of involvement in the case, leading to an FIR against him. Effigies of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were burnt by ABVP members in response. Mohammed Zubair noted that Pandey and Patel remained active on social media until their recent arrest, after which their accounts were deleted.
The disclosure of the alleged perpetrators’ affiliation with the BJP’s IT cell has ignited a political dispute in Uttar Pradesh. State spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, Manoj Rai Dhupchandi, on Sunday, accused the “women-worshipping” saffron party of sheltering rapists.
Simultaneously, images showing the accused individuals alongside prominent figures from the BJP and other leaders have emerged on social media.
