Police personnel deployed at Katra Shadat Ganj village in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh
Top political leaders are lining up to visit Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, where the brutal rape and murder of two teenaged girls, and the apathy of police personnel, has captured the attention of the national media. (
'Want Justice, Not Compensation': Father of Girl Raped in Badaun)
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati is the latest political heavyweight who is going to visit the grieving village of Katra Shadat Ganj. (
Mayawati Demands CBI Probe In Badaun Gangrape Case)
The two girls had gone missing on the night of May 27. Their bodies were found hanging from a tree the next day. Police had allegedly refused to register a first information report for hours.(
'They Could Have Been Saved if Police Acted', says Family)
All five accused who had been identified are now under arrest. Two are yet to be identified.
Ms Mayawati's visit comes a day after that of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. "There can be no price for a woman's honour," Mr Gandhi had told media personnel during his visit.(
Badaun Sisters' Gang-Rape: Rahul Gandhi Meets Family)
Both Mr Gandhi and Ms Mayawati have demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI.
The Samajwadi Party sent Dharmendra Yadav, the MP from Badaun, to visit the family today. The ruling party has received immense flak for the law and order situation in the state, and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's defiant stance.
The state government has agreed to a CBI probe and announced Rs five lakh as compensation for the families. (
Badaun Case: UP Government Recommends CBI probe)
But the families of the two girls want justice, not compensation.
"Had Akhilesh shown such attitude earlier, my daughter would have been found alive," the father of one of the girls told NDTV. (
'You Are Safe, Aren't You,' Says Defiant Akhilesh)
Most locals are not too reassured by the steps taken by their chief minister.
"If this had happened with a girl from the Yadav community, how would they have felt? The way my heart is boiling with anger, they would have felt the same way," said one of them. (
Is Safety a Distant Dream for India's Daughters?)
Meanwhile, Union minister Uma Bharti attacked SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying, "The kind of statements that Mulayam and other SP ministers have made has clearly boosted the morale of the rapists".
She was referring to Mr Yadav's controversial remarks against the new and stringent anti-rape law, when he had said, "They are boys; they make mistakes."