#Badaun rape victims' family claims being threatened

The family of the Badaun rape victims today alleged that they have received threats and demanded security from Central forces, saying they do not trust the state police. "We are receiving threats. We are being told that who will protect us once the media leaves the village and politicians stop frequenting us," said the father of the victim.

Politicians across parties, including Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, have visited the family over the week. The father also said that the family does not trust the state police and so they should be given protection by Central forces. The Uttar Pradesh government has deployed state police personnel for the family's protection.

"If they (state police) could not give security to our daughters then what kind of security will they provide us. The police was drunk (when the family first approached them). Why was the police not capable of returning our daughters?" he said.

Two teenage cousins aged 14 and 15 were allegedly gangraped and murdered and their bodies were found hanging from a tree in Katra Sadatganj village in Badaun, 300 kms from Lucknow. The girls went missing on May 27 and their bodies were found on May 28. The postmortem report of the victims confirmed that they were raped before hanging.