The gangrape of Banaras Hindu University students by three members of BJP IT Cell namely Saksham Patel, Abhishek Chauhan and Kunal Pandey has shocked the collective conscience of India. What’s even more shocking is the revelation that these rapists had close links with top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Smriti Irani, BJP President JP Nadda and BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya among others.
Patel, Chauhan and Pandey had gangraped the BHU student on 1 November when the victim had gone out with a friend in the university campus. She was kidnapped by the three members of the BJP IT Cell and gangraped. She said in her complaint that the three rapists forcibly eparated her from her friend and gagged her before brutally raping her. The three rapists then stripped her before filming her using their mobile phones.
The police, which reports to the Uttar Pradesh government headed by Adityanath are facing criticism for not registering a case against the three powerful BJP functionaries for two months. They were arrested only on 31 December after the incident began to dominate social media conversations.
Just influential these rapists are can be understood by their links with powerful BJP leaders. Sharing a photo of himself with PM Modi in March, Patel wrote, “Greeting and welcoming the world’s popular leader and successful Prime Minister of India Hon’ble Shri @narendramodi ji on the land of Kashi (Varanasi)!!.”
Patel shared another photo of himself with Adityanath in July as he wrote, “Received the blessings of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the most resected @myogi_adityanath ji Maharaj.”
In June 2022, Patel flaunted his photo with Irani as he expressed his gratitude to the union minister for her guidance. “Today an important meeting was concluded by Union Minister Honorable Mrs. @smritiiraniofficial Didi with the core team of BJP IT and Social Media. The valuable guidance you received in the meeting will always be followed in life,” he wrote.
In May 2002, Patel shared photos of his session at an RSS event as he wrote, “Wish for eternal victory, youngsters walk on the path of work.
In the meditation of “mind surrender”, sacrificed life and young body-hearted>”
The UP Police had first decided to not book these rapists for gangrape and onlyregistered an FIR under section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the IPC and under provisions of the Information Technology Act. However, they added a section of gangrape later after the matter became a topic of intense social media conversations.