Lucknow:
Mayawati, who came to power with the promise to improve law and order in Uttar Pradesh, is being cornered on the rising number of rape cases in her state.
As Mayawati meets her team today on stricter punishment to those guilty of rape, two more cases of assault were reported in her state on Saturday.
A class 3 student, barely 10, was picked up at a market on Saturday morning and brutally raped in the Ibrahimpur village of Barabanki.
The accused Shiv Kumar - 10 years older than the victim - allegedly took her to the nearby fields, where he raped her, beat her up with sticks and left her there to die.
"I sent her to get mortein from the local shop but she was picked up while she was returning home," said the victim's mother.
Now, admitted in a hospital in Lucknow, the girl's condition is serious because she lost a lot of blood.
Another minor girl was raped in the Saasni area of Hathras. The police have lodged a complaint after a medical examination of the girl. The incident occurred while the girl's parents were away in Noida and she was alone at home. Police are still on the lookout for the accused.
Just last week, the state of Uttar Pradesh saw 8 cases of rape in 48 hours.
Under pressure from the media and Opposition parties, the Chief Minister talked tough about amending the laws to punish the guilty.
But on Sunday, she was back to using the Dalit card as her defense.
"There are crimes in Congress ruled states like Maharashtra but the Centre is silent about them...they only speak when it comes to Uttar Pradesh. Centre can't tolerate a Dalit leader at the helm of power."
Words that offer no comfort to the young girls so brutally attacked.