UP Minister Azam Khan's Outrageous Comment on Bulandshahr Rapes Signals Politics

Lucknow: The gang-rape of a woman and her daughter near a highway in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr has been dragged into politics at a time parties have revved up the campaign for next year's election in India's most populous state.

As a group of BJP leaders headed to Ghaziabad to meet the family that was attacked on Friday night by eight gangsters, Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan bizarrely suggested an "opposition conspiracy".

"We need to investigate whether this is a conspiracy by opponents who want to defame the government," said Mr Khan, who is known to invite trouble with his loose talk.

"For votes, people can stoop to any level. There can be a Muzaffarnagar, a Shamli and Kairana...why not this? For power, politicians can murder people, trigger riots, kill innocent people, so the truth has to be found out," he remarked.

The BJP, in a sharp retort, said: "If you have an ounce of humanity, then try and catch the accused." The party also demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident.

The state's Samajwadi Party government has been aggressively attacked by opposition parties who say Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav must resign for his failure to protect people in UP.

Mr Yadav will meet the family on Thursday.

The 39-year-old cab driver whose family was attacked, said: "We don't want politics. We don't want politicians visiting. We want justice. My child has barely spoken since the attack."

He was on its way to a funeral late on Friday, along with his family and that of his brother's, when armed men stopped his car, tied and beat up the men and gang-raped his 35-year-old wife and  teen daughter for almost three hours.

"We were looted, beaten up and we all know what they did to my daughter...I want my wife and daughter to punish them. If they are not punished within three months, then all three of us will commit suicide," he said. The family has not returned home to avoid facing neighbours or friends.