Rape 'sometimes right'

Babulal Gaur, the home minister in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, on Thursday appeared to play down the seriousness of the problem of violence against women.

"This (rape) is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong," Gaur told reporters.

He also defended the government of Uttar Pradesh state, which has recently come under fire for not doing enough to safeguard girls and women from sexual violence.

"Nothing can be done until there is a complaint," Gaur, a member of recently-elected Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) told reporters.

There was no immediate comment from Prime Minister Modi on Gaur's statement, but the BJP has distanced itself, saying the politician's views were not those of the party.

Fatal gang rape

Gaur's statement comes amid widespread public outrage over the fatal gang rape of two teenage cousins in Uttar Pradesh last week. The father of one of the two girls, who came from a low caste, has said that police refused to investigate when he first reported his daughter missing. Police only took action after the two girls were found hanging from a mango tree the next morning.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the case, including two police officers. Two other police officers have been suspended from duty.

News of the crimes has led to a number of protests, with much of the anger directed at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who critics accuse of failing to tackle the problem of violent crime against women.

The issue gained international attention after the fatal gang-rape of a student on a New Delhi bus in late 2012. The Indian government responded by tightening up its legislation on sexual violence, increasing prison terms for convicted rapists.

pfd/msh (AFP, Reuters)