Mulayam courts controversy over UP rape percentage remark

The statement came on Friday from the SP supremo in the wake of gang-rape and murder of a 32-year-old lab assistant at Lucknow's Mohanlalganj area. The victim used to work at a prestigious hospital in the city.

Mulayam said that the population of Uttar Pradesh is 21 crore and each and every crime cannot be checked in the state.

“The police take action against the criminals if such cases take place,” he said when asked for his reaction on the issue and the deteriorating law and order scenario of the state.

Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government in Uttar Pradesh came to the focal point of criticism in May this year following the brutal incident of two cousin sisters found hanging from a tree after their alleged rape in a village in Badaun.

Earlier in April this year, Mulayam sparked off another controversy when in a poll rally, referring to the Mumbai Shakti Mills gangrape verdict of death sentence to rapists, he had said the boys made mistake but the punishment should not be hanging.

“Boys make mistake,” said Mulayam and even said that the girl complained of rape because she had differences with the boys.

The SP leader was speaking against the new stringent anti-rape laws under when the Mumbai gang rape convicts were tried. He had said the boys should not be hanged.

A Mumbai court had sentenced to death three men accused of raping a photo journalist inside an abandoned mill in Mumbai last year August as they were found repeat offenders and were charged under the amended stringent anti-rape laws under.