AICC Scheduled Castes Division President Rajendra Pal Gautam said atrocities against Dalits are on the rise in BJP-ruled states. File | Photo credit: ANI
The Congress on Saturday (April 4, 2026) accused the BJP government in Rajasthan of shielding those accused in the alleged gang-rape of a 15-year-old Dalit girl in Ajmer and the subsequent attack on her family, alleging that the police failed to act despite the survivor’s statement and repeated complaints.
AICC Scheduled Castes Division President Rajendra Pal Gautam said at a press conference that atrocities against Dalits were on the rise in BJP-ruled states and claimed that 76% of cases of atrocities against Dalits were reported from five such states. According to him, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan accounted for the highest number of cases, followed by Bihar and Maharashtra.
Mr. Gautam said the Ajmer incident took place in July 2024 but surfaced months after the minor became pregnant.
Zero FIR was registered in New Delhi and subsequently transferred to Ajmer. Despite the survivor recording her statement before the court under relevant sections of the law, the police have not made any arrests for nearly eight months, he said.
According to Mr. Gautam, only one of the three accused has been arrested so far, adding that the other two were briefly detained as a precautionary measure but later released.
He further alleged that on March 16, before the scheduled court hearing, the family of the deceased was attacked with axes after they refused to agree to a compromise with the accused. A counter-FIR was registered against the family but was later closed, he said.
Mr. Gautam also alleged violation of provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including failure to provide protection to survivors under Section 15(A) and insufficient action against officials concerned under Section 4.
Demanding immediate security and compensation for the survivor and her family, he said action must also be taken against police officials who allegedly violated the law.
Mr Gautam thanked Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking withdrawal of cases related to the 2018 protests against the dilution of the SC/ST Act.
He also announced that Mr. Gandhi would announce a ‘Run for Ambedkar, Run for the Constitution’ marathon in Delhi on April 12 to mark BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.
Published – 04 Apr 2026 22:54 IST
