Sena virtually justifies lynching of rape accused

The Shiv Sena on Monday virtually justified the lynching of a rape accused in Nagaland, saying mob fury reflects people’s anger towards sexual crimes against women and the kind of justice meted out to the man should happen in Maharashtra as well.

“The way justice was meted out to the rape accused in Nagaland, should happen in Maharashtra as well. Cases relating to rape carry on for years, with the accused getting no punishment for his crime,” Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam told reporters here.

“What is necessary is immediate decisions to give justice to rape victims. I will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demand the formulation of a law which will fast track rape-related cases and the accused, if proven guilty, is hanged within a month of committing the crime,” he added.

There has been an uproar over the March 5 incident in Dimapur in which Syed Farid Khan was dragged out of a prison by a mob on suspicion of raping a woman, stripped naked, severely beaten up and tied to a motor cycle.

He died of his injuries along the way and the mob hung his body at the clock tower. A report sent by Nagaland government to the Union Home Ministry has said that charges of rape against Khan, who hailed from Assam, were not established conclusively and medical reports are still awaited.