Protests in Ayodhya after Moeed Khan, close confidant of Samajwadi MP Awadhesh Prasad, was accused of raping and impregnating a minor Hindu girl

Newly elected MP for Faizabad constituency Awadhesh Prasad is facing considerable criticism from both local and opposition political groups following allegations that a close aide of his raped and impregnated a minor girl.

Prasad’s refusal to comment on this serious matter when asked by the media yesterday only increased public outrage.

Activists claim that the police shielded the accused Moeed Khan for two days under Prasad’s political influence.

The victim is a Hindu girl from the Nishad caste.

The case has sparked protests from Hindu organisations who say similar cases of interfaith sexual violence are on the rise. Members of the Nishad Party are also at the forefront of the campaign demanding justice for them.

Anil Kumar, a senior member of the Nishad Party’s youth wing, said Swara that Khan is a well-known face of the Samajwadi Party in the area.

He said that both the girl and Khan are residents of Bhadarsa area in Ayodhya. The rape incident came to light last week when the girl was found to be two months pregnant.

When asked, she told her mother that she had been raped by Moeed Khan in his shop and that his assistant Raju had filmed the attack.

Kumar said when the girl’s mother tried to report the incident to Bhadarsa police headquarters on July 27, she was turned away.

As the news spread and Nishad and Hindu activists intervened, a protest rally was held in front of the chowki on July 29. It was revealed that the chowki was operating on a property owned by Khan, who is very influential in the area.

As protests grew, the chowki was cleared and the furniture hastily rearranged (a video of the relocation can be viewed here).

Eventually, the Ayodhya police intervened and a case was registered that same evening. Khan and Raju were charged with gang rape and violations of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Details of the FIR

Swara has retrieved the First Information Report (FIR) dated July 29 from Purakalandar police station in Ayodhya. According to the statement of the girl’s widowed mother recorded in the FIR, the girl is only 12 years old.

The statement said that about two and a half months ago, the girl had gone to work in a field and was approached by Raju, a 20-year-old man who works in Khan’s bakery.

Raju told her that Khan wanted to offer her a job. When the girl went to Khan, he grabbed her, taped her mouth and raped her while Raju filmed the attack at Khan’s behest.

Khan then used the video to blackmail the girl and raped her repeatedly over the following days. Out of fear and shame, the girl did not tell her mother about the abuse, but when she developed severe abdominal pains and was taken to the doctor, her pregnancy was discovered.

This revelation forced her mother to report the incident to the police.

According to the statement, Raju and Khan were booked under sections 376DA (gang rape of a girl below 16 years of age) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and sections 5(m) and 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012.

Actions and reactions

According to an update posted today on the official X-account (formerly Twitter) of the Ayodhya Police, both the accused have been arrested and remanded in custody.

When questioned by the media outside the Delhi Parliament yesterday, Awadhesh Prasad only said: “I cannot comment on this, I cannot comment on this matter.” He said he did not know the facts of the case.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken cognizance of the case and sent a notice to the Ayodhya Police Commissioner asking him to submit an action taken report (ATR).

Kanoongo posted on X (translated from Hindi): “In Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, there are reports of rape of a minor girl by a man named Moeed Khan, who is said to be a local leader of the Samajwadi Party. On knowledge of the same, a notice has been served to the administration to arrest the accused and provide rehabilitation, treatment and assistance to the victim.”

There has been no response so far from the leadership of the Samajwadi Party, including its chairman Akhilesh Yadav.