Lucknow: The law and order machinery in Uttar Pradesh has made itself a laughing stock by failing to arrest a cabinet minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government, Gayatri Prasad Prajapati. who has been charged with rape by a minor, even a fortnight after the lodging of an FIR ( first information report).
The reason given by the police for being unable to trace him is bizarre, to say the least. The minister who is also facing a CBI inquiry in another case was seen by every one present in a booth in Amethi assembly constituency where he cast his vote five days ago. His presence has been video-recorded and shown on most of the news channels. Still, the police authorities say he is traceless.
Clearly, what all others could see, the police men did not . What is equally baffling, the same police had traced buffalo of another minister, which had gone missing, within 24 hours. He was provided police protection which was withdrawn only two days. Policemen guarding him too failed to inform his superiors his whereabouts.
A lookout notice has been given and alert sounded now ( on Friday) on airports as there is a fear that he might fly outside the country.
State chief minsiter Akhilesh Yadav denies that he has provided shelter to the minister but he cannot deny that he campaigned for him in Amethi two days after the lodging of FIR and sought voters' support for him. The reason is that all this has been video-recorded.
Akhilesh and his government deserves condemnation for another reason too. The case was registered against him only after the Supreme Court intervened.
Other shocking development: the members of the victim's family have accused the investigating police officer of pressuring her to change her statement against the minister and threatening her of dire consequences otherwise.
The opposition, particularly the Bhartiya Janta Party, has charged the state chief minister of shielding the minister and not paying much attention to the case which has drawn countrywide attention.
Another noteworthy feature, it is not the first time that that the minister has hit headlines. His name was associated with a mining scandal last year and the issue had reached as far as the Supreme Court. The Court, like the High Court, had found the case serious and refused to keep the Central Bureau of Investigation out of it.
Shockingly, the Court was approached by the state government itself for withdrawal of CBI inquiry. The same government had dropped him from the ministry following charge of his involvement in the mining scam.
Apparently, the government has totally mishandled the Prajapati case.