Hang My Son if Found Guilty, Spare Others: Rape Accused Youth's Mother Appeals to Gujarat

New Delhi: In the wake of attacks on north Indian migrant workers, from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, in Gujarat after a youth from Bihar allegedly raped a 14-month-old infant, the accused’s mother appealed to the people of Gujarat to hang her son if found guilty, but not drive out everyone from Bihar from the state.

“Hang him if he is found guilty for the crime but do not harass and drive out the Biharis because of my son’s sin," Ramawati Devi was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The accused’s family hails from Manjhi block in Saran district in Bihar. The youth’s father works as a labourer.

The family also revealed that the youth, a minor, does behave “abnormally" on occasions.

“My son is a minor and mentally unsound as he often behaved abnormally at times. He could study up to class 5 only. He is third among four brothers. Two years ago, he went to Gujarat with his friends to make a living without informing anyone. We got to know about his whereabouts few months back only," his father was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The youth, in 2016, abruptly disappeared and later told his parents that he had reached Gujarat with some friends for work.

Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has urged the migrant workers to return to the state and police have been patrolling in sensitive areas. The business, industrial and commercial establishments remain without many workers across districts of North and Central Gujarat, the epicentre of mass exodus. Businesses and industries also assured them safety upon return.

With no major incident reported since Monday, the state is limping back to normalcy.

Meanwhile, the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch of the Ahmedabad police have arrested 10 more persons under Section 66C and 67 of the IT Act and other provisions of the IPC for spreading hate messages to incite violence against migrant workers in the state.

Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old in Sabarkantha on September 28, and the arrest of a labourer hailing from Bihar for the crime, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, had seen sporadic incidents of violence.