Will take up police harassment of rape victim's friend: Dasgupta

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta Monday accused the Delhi Police of harassing the gangrape victim's friend after he gave an interview to a television channel and promised to take up the issue with union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

"I will raise the issue with union home minister. I will ask him to ensure that the police did not harass the young man anymore," Dasgupta told a media meet, deploring the "police high handedness".

"It is extremely regrettable. Our Criminal Penal Code does not have any provision which bars a key witness in a criminal case from opening his mouth and letting the country know about his sad experience," said the CPI Lok Sabha member.

Dasgupta said the interview given by the young man has been deleted from social networking sites following intervention of the Delhi Police.

He said the boy was no less courageous than the girl, who is now considered a martyr by the country.

"Even when he was faced with the murderous assault, the boy did not leave his friend and fought bravely against the assailants. He is a singular example to the young people in the country," Dasgupta said.

He also condemned the attack on Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and former minister Abdur Rezzak Molla, allegedly by Trinamool activists, and said the campaigners for political change in the state before the last assembly polls saying they wanted to end political violence, were now facing the same charges. - IANS