Thaindian News

Lucknow, June 26 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government late Monday suspended four senior officials in Pratapgrah district, including the district magistrate and police chief, for laxity in their duty following violence after a gang-rape.

A government spokesman said the District Magistrate Y.K. Bahal, Superintendent of Police O.P. Sager, Circle Officer, Kunda V.S. Rana and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Kunda Brahmaprakash have been suspended with immediate effect.

Officials said the four were found wanting in the discharge of their duty after a gang rape was reported from a village in the Kunda area last week. As a fall out of the gang rape, irate villagers set on fire many houses and in the violence that ensued, one person was killed.

Officials said that the government was dissatisfied with the response of the four officials after the rape.

“The officers suspended today (Monday) had failed to react and rise to the situation,” a senior official said told IANS. The state government, facing a serious challenge on the law and order front, through the suspensions, wants to show that laxity in maintaining law and order would not be tolerated, said official sources.

The Akhilesh Yadav government also announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs.5 lakh for the dead person and Rs.50,000 each for those whose houses were gutted in the violence following the gang rape of a teenaged girl .

The body of the girl was found on Thursday morning. Her autopsy established that she was raped before being killed.

More than 35 houses were burnt by a mob in Aasthan village under Nawabganj police station area of Pratapgarh district late Saturday as the body of the rape victim was being taken for cremation.

The four accused, including a minor boy, were nabbed Friday night and are in custody.