Facing flak, Azam Khan says never called UP rape political conspiracy'

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Tuesday claimed that he never called the Bulandshahr gangrape a ‘political conspiracy’, asserting that he was a ‘very sensitive person’.

“Never said it was Opposition’s conspiracy, I only said that UP polls are close & so many such incidents are happening and they need to be investigated,” Azam Khan told the media when he was asked if his comments were misconstrued.

Read: 'He's gone mad,' says victim's uncle after Azam calls UP rape 'political conspiracy'

A gang of dacoits had brutally raped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur on Friday night.

Earlier on Monday, Khan had hinted that the rape could have been a political conspiracy and claimed that the opposition could stoop to any level to defame the Akhilesh government.

“We must also probe whether this entire controversy is a move by some Opposition elements to defame the government. People who want to come to power may be stooping this low for political interests,” Azam had said.

“If the Congress can instigate 1000 riots in the country for votes, if for votes Gujarat can happen, if Muzzaffarnagar, Shamli and Kairana can happen, then why not this. Had Gandhi been alive, all this might have not happened, but they even got him killed,” Khan added.

Read: Deliver justice or will commit suicide, threaten UP gangrape survivors' kin

Uttar Pradesh Police had on Sunday arrested the three accused -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) – and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the highway crime.

Facing flak from opposition, the state government had suspended five officers, including district SSP Vaibhav Krishna.