Akhilesh Tripathi
Lucknow – Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who have been vocally critical of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in response to the gang rape and brutal murder of a medical student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata are now conspicuously silent about the rape and murder of a lawyer in Kasganj district, Uttar Pradesh.
Despite six days have passed since the murder of advocate Mohini Tomar, the police have yet to identify or apprehend the suspects. This contrasts sharply with the rapid action taken in Kolkata, where the CBI has already arrested several individuals, including the former principal of the medical college, a security guard, and two hospital vendors.
The BJP’s silence on the Kasganj case has prompted questions about a possible double standard, with critics suggesting that the party’s reticence may be due to its political dominance in Uttar Pradesh. This silence stands in stark contrast to the party’s vocal stance in similar cases in other states.
The legal community is deeply unsettled by the lack of progress in the investigation. Mohini Tomar went missing on the evening of September 2, 2024, after leaving court. Her family reported her missing later that day, but the police initially responded with indifference and did not file a case until after her body was discovered in a canal near Rajpura village on September 4. The post-mortem report confirmed that Tomar had been severely assaulted and died from injuries before her body ended up in the water. The report noted no water in her stomach, ruling out drowning, and indicated potential rape based on the condition of the ody.
The police have named six suspects but have not made any arrests, which has led to widespread protests from the legal community in Kasganj. The Uttar Pradesh State Bar Council, under Vice-Chairman Pradeep Kumar Singh, has demanded immediate action from the authorities. Their letter to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court highlighted their frustration with the police’s inaction and drew parallels to similar protests by medical professionals in other states.
On September 6, 2024, the Awadh Bar Association in Lucknow staged a protest, and the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the police and administration to arrest the suspects. Additionally, the UP State Bar Council’s President, Shiv Kishore Gaur, has called on district bar associations to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister, demanding justice, a compensation of Rs. 1 crore for the victim’s family, and employment for a family member.
Interestingly, women’s organizations have yet to respond to Tomar’s murder, unlike their active involvement in similar cases elsewhere, such as the recent incident involving a female doctor in West Bengal.
This is not the first incident of murder of a woman lawyer in UP. In August 2019, UP state government counsel Nutan Yadav was shot dead at her official residence in Etah. The 35-year-old Ms. Yadav hailed from the Berhan area of Agra district and was posted as an assistant prosecution officer at Jalesar court in Etah district.
In June 2019, the first woman chairperson of UP’s Bar Council, 38-year-old Darvesh Yadav, was shot dead in her office in Agra by her advocate colleague Manish Sharma.
Political parties are playing double standards in case of rape of women and children. Investigations are being conducted as per the caste creed and political affiliation of the culprit and the victim and this is being done openly in the glare of law enforcing authorities and are left helpless
The Advocate fraternity must stand up and fight against this injustice.