Says Gandhi’s tweet and photo was in violation of Juvenile Justice Act and POCSO
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued notice to Twitter India demanding action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for posting a photo of a minor Dalit rape victim’s family on Twitter.
Gandhi, who visited the parents of a 9-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly killed in a brutal sexual assault, posted a photo that showed him comforting the girl’s parents. The words: “The parents’ tears ask for only one thing: their daughter, the country’s daughter, deserves justice. And I stand with them in this fight”, accompanied the photo.
A notice signed by NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo says Rahul Gandhi, a former president of the Congress party, violated Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which prohibits disclosure of the identity of children, and Section 23 of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act, which lays down procedure for the media to report sexual offences against children.
Gandhi said after he met the girl’s parents: “I told them that Rahul Gandhi is standing with them till they get justice and will not back down even an inch”.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has launched an inquiry into the incident that took place in Old Nangal area in southwest Delhi and summoned the city police after the girl’s parents alleged that she was raped and her body was forcibly cremated by a crematorium priest who had falsely claimed that she was electrocuted.
Hundreds of locals, including the victim’s parents, have been staging a protest near the site of the incident in Old Nangal area, demanding capital punishment for the accused.
Police had on Monday said that based on the statement of the victim’s mother, rape charges have been added in the FIR. Four people, including the priest, have been arrested.
On Tuesday, opposition parties targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the incident, questioning the law and order situation in the national capital, even as the Delhi Police said strict legal action has been taken against the accused.
The Bharatiya Janata Party accused Gandhi and his party, the Congress, of politicising the rape case.
Indian laws prohibit the media from disclosing anything that could potentially identify minors both in conflict with the law as well as victims of crimes.