Continuing his trend of raising a furore with controversial statements, Uttar Pradesh Minority Welfare Minister Azam Khan advised an alleged rape victim who had come to him seeking help, to not go looking for 'fame and attention' for her 'disgrace' or else she won't be able to face the world with dignity.
Khan made his new shocker yesterday while addressing a 'Ganga ki Pukaar' programme here after the victim and her lawyer, following an arduous struggle, failed to meet with him.
"No one is paying any heed to our problems. We have been here since morning and have been trying really hard to meet with the minister. But the corrupt police and administration have been hell bent on ensuring that we are not able to reach him. We were not allowed to meet him," the victim's advocate told the media here as she was flanked by officials and police women.
According to the lawyer, her client's case has been registered on 27th July and she has been trying to seek justice since then.
The woman who has allegedly been raped also expressed her helplessness and anger at not being able to meet with Azam Khan.
Khan, who later heard of the chaos outside the venue of his speech, referred to the case in his address saying he had been notified of her plea and was sure it was quite 'serious'.
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"I will take her memorandum and go ahead but she sure has gained publicity now. Her complaint is clearly in connection to the disgrace she is facing but if she goes around spreading the incident that happened with her, how will she face the world?," Khan said.
Hitting out at the UP minister for his remark, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Laxmikant Bajpai said the statement was a blatant insult to women everywhere.
"Why are Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav not taking his statement into consideration and taking action? His statements are hurting the party's image yet they remain silent. If Akhilesh has any respect for women he will take action against Azam," Bajpai told ANI.
Azam Khan had earlier raised a storm with this remark that 'mobile phones' were responsible for rape of minors saying misuse of these gadgets by the younger generation has led to an alarming rise in such cases.