A horrific incident in Varanasi involved the gang-rape of a graduating student by 23 individuals over a seven-day period. The victim was abandoned on the street by her attackers on April 3rd before managing to return home and report the crime. Authorities have apprehended 13 of the 23 identified suspects so far.
Upon his arrival in Varanasi on Friday morning, Prime Minister Modi immediately enquired about the progress of the gang-rape investigation with Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal at the airport. Expressing his dissatisfaction with the apparent negligence in the case, the Prime Minister insisted on stringent measures against all those responsible.
Following the Prime Minister’s intervention, DCP Varanasi Chandrakant Meena was removed from his position on Monday night. It is indicated that this action was taken because Meena allegedly failed to take decisive action immediately after the incident and did not file reports against the reportedly negligent Station House Officer and Sub-Inspector. This inaction reportedly led to discontent among senior officials. It is also suggested that further disciplinary action may be taken against 3 to 4 additional police officers in connection with the case in the near future.
Chandrakant Meena is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 2018 batch, originally from Alwar, Rajasthan. He has served in Varanasi since 2022, holding positions such as ADCP Kashi Zone and DCP Crime before becoming DCP Varuna Zone. A holder of a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering, Meena was also awarded the DG Silver Medal in 2023. Prior to his posting in Varanasi, he served as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Bareilly, where he took action against land mafias, including the seizure of assets worth ₹35.11 crore belonging to Alliance Builders under the Gangster Act.
