Trying to defend his Pilibhit hate speeches, BJP candidate Varun Gandhi today claimed “persecution” of the “local community” where “three girls had been raped”.

Gandhi spoke in Barkhera on March 8. The Indian Express has found that in all, seven cases of rape were reported at Barkhera police station last year and chargesheets were filed in four. Said Hari Ram Nagar, police officer in charge of the Barkhera police station who handled the seven cases: “There wasno pattern on the basis of which these could becalled communal.”

Consider the case details, as per official records:
* On April 4: Shyam Bihari Lal lodged an FIR against Yogendra Pal for kidnapping his girl. Later, on the basis of the victim’s statement, Yogendra was also charged with rape.
* On May 4, a woman lodged an FIR against Babu Ram. She stated that he raped her while she was going to her field.
* On July 17, a woman accused Sewak Ram of forcibly entering her house and raping her. Two women were named as accomplices.
* On September 11, Krishan Devi accused Puttu Lal and Avneesh of kidnapping and alsoraping her daughter.

In these cases, seven accused were arrested andsent to jail.

Of the other three rape cases, the police expunged two and filed a final report in one. All three cases were lodged on the directive of court. But investigation showed that these were false cases, lodged to settle personal scores.

In 2009, one rape case was lodged on January 7 on the court’s order, three months after the alleged incident. The circle officer investigated the case, found it to be false and expunged it. In this case, too, the victim and the accused, both, were Hindus, said police officials.

... contd.