Akhilesh in Ballia, offers aid to family

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday visited Medwara village in Ballia district to meet the family members of the 23-year-old Delhi gang rape victim.

He handed over a cheque of Rs 20 lakh to the father of the deceased girl and assured her family members of all help from the state government.

He also announced opening of a primary health centre at Medwara. The health centre was the dream of the woman and her family members.

Akhilesh, giving details of the health centre, said: “The land for the primary health centre at Medwara has been made available to the local authorities.”

Akhilesh, however, refused to name health centre after the woman’s name for legal reasons.

Speaking to reporters at Medwara, the chief minister said: “Though the state government has extended financial assistance to the family (of the gang rape victim), their loss is immense and can never be compensated.”

He expressed his concern over the safety of women in the country and condemned the Delhi gang rape incident. “The Delhi incident was gruesome. Such an incident has never been reported from anywhere in the world,” he said.

“The incident has led to outrage all over the country and people have come out on the streets to express their anger against it,” Akhilesh added. He demanded strict punishment for all the perpetrators of the crime.

Commenting on the steps needed to protect women and ensure their safety, he said: “After the incident, state

governments have seriously taken up the issue of women’s safety.”

There was need for concrete steps to ensure safety of women, he added. Akhilesh said policemen needed to be more vigilant and sensitive to issues related to women.

He also assured foolproof measures in the state to make women safe.

The chief minister spent a half-hour interacting with family members of the woman.