LUCKNOW: In another incident hinting at “demolition justice,” a bakery and house belonging to a Samajwadi Party leader in Ayodhya, Moid Khan, was razed to the ground by a team of district administration officials on Saturday. Khan is accused of raping and impregnating a 12-year-old girl belonging to the most backward class category. According to police, the demolished bakery was constructed “illegally on a pond land” in the Bhadarsa area of Bikapur Assembly segment in Ayodhya. The bakery was built on a small piece of the land while rest was used for cultivation, police said. Earlier on Saturday, Assistant Food Commissioner Manikchand Singh conducted a raid in the bakery during which samples of food products were taken for examination and the bakery was subsequently sealed. Following this, Singh informed that the process of revoking the bakery’s licence was on. Hours later authorities reached the site and demolished the structure.The demolition process was supervised by Ayodhya DM Anirudh Pratap Singh, Ayodhya Development Authority secretary Satyendra Singh and SDM, Sohawal, Ashok Kumar Saini. “The action was taken as the bakery was constructed on a land grabbed by the accused. The house of the accused may also be demolished,” said an official.However, the reason for the demolition of the house remains unknown. Meanwhile, Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, who is allegedly close to Khan, expressed solidarity with the rape victim and accused the BJP of playing politics over the incident.“Innocents should not be framed, a DNA test should be conducted. She (victim) should be helped financially as well…,” Prasad said adding that strict action should be taken against “whosoever found guilty.”SP chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav also demanded a DNA test of the rape survivor to establish the complicity of the accused in the crime. Moid Khan, a resident of the Pura Kalandar area of Ayodhya, was arrested by district police, on Thursday, on charges of raping the minor girl for over two months and making her pregnant. According to police, the 12-year old girl used to work as a daily wage employee at Khan’s home. Khan had been allegedly indulging in the criminal act along with his house help. They also allegedly video-recorded the act and blackmailed the victim. Two of the accomplices of Khan were also booked by the police for threatening the victim’s family and pressuring them to settle the case.“Over two months, Khan continued to abuse the victim sexually, using the video to intimidate and threaten her. Khan committed these acts with the assistance of Raju, his employee. The crime came to light when the minor became pregnant,” said a police officer. According to the FIR registered by the police under the POCSO Act, Bhadarsa Nagar Panchayat chief Mohammad Rashid, SP leader Jai Singh Rana, and another person reached the District Women’s Hospital and pressured the victim’s family in the private ward to settle the case. On refusing, they were given life threats. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh CM met the victim’s family on Friday, following which two police officers– Station House Officer (SHO) of Pura Kalandar police station, Ratan Sharma, and Bhadarsha outpost in-charge, Akhilesh Gupta — were suspended for delay in registering the case and carrying out investigation. State Fisheries Minister Sanjay Nishad also visited the victim’s family on Saturday. After the meeting, the minister broke down in front of the media. “We lead the Nishad community. Nishads are extremely backward. Women are revered in our society, yet she (the victim) suffered these atrocities,” he said. He alleged that Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘PDA’ is a blatant lie.”Those who chant PDA slogans and pat themselves on the back after winning in Ayodhya seem to have won with the help of these criminals,” Nishad said seeking Khan’s expulsion from SP. Former UP CM and BSP chief Mayawati also came down heavily on the SP chief fro demanding a DNA test of the victim. In a post on microblogging site X, Mayawati asked if DNA tests were conducted on rape victims during Akhilesh Yadav’s regime.
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