In a shocking incident, robbers in the Indian state of Rajasthan murdered a woman in broad daylight, reportedly chopping off her feet, and stealing the silver anklets she was wearing. Multiple reports also suggested that her throat was slit.
The grisly incident took place on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Rajayvardhan Singh Rathore slammed the Congress-led Rajasthan government and alleged that it had failed to control the crime situation in the state.
"Such incidents have become common in Rajasthan and they are concealed so that it doesn't appear in the media. Criminals are emboldened to this extent, there's no fear of police. They are deployed just for the security of ministers. The governmentt is busy saving itself", the ANI news agency quoted Rathore as saying.
According to local police, the victim has since been identified as Geeta Devi Sharma, a resident of the village of Khatehpura in Chavandiya. As per media reports, she was attacked while grazing cattle in a field near her home.
"There seems to be involvement of hardcore criminals in the case given the manner in which the victim, Geeta Devi Sharma, was murdered. The jewellery she was wearing was found missing. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of murder for gain", India Today cited Jaipur (Rural) Superintendent of Police Shankar Dutt Sharma as saying.
Meanwhile, the woman's relatives have demanded that strict action be taken against the culprits along with a compensation of over $33,000 and a government job from the state.
The gruesome incident has additionally caused panic and outrage among locals.
On Tuesday, Vasundhara Raje, the former chief of Rajasthan and a BJP politician, slammed the state government, accusing it of being unable to maintain law and order in the state.
"As shocking as the case of the brutal murder of a woman in the village of Khatehpura in Jamwa Ramgarh is, it is much more shameful for the state government. The Congress government should answer why the law situation in the state has become so helpless", Raje said in a tweet in Hindi.
Several other BJP politicians expressed anger over the incident and lashed out at the state government as well.
BJP parliamentarian Kirodi Lal Meena took to Twitter on Tuesday and said that Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should address the crime in Rajasthan too.
"Priyanka Gandhi, who is chanting the slogan, Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon, should look at this incident that happened in Jamwa Ramgarh in Jaipur today. Is she finding that women are only unsafe in Uttar Pradesh? ...The shameful fact is that Rajasthan tops the country in crimes against women. The chief of our state, Mr Ashok Gehlot is only busy in your glory by ignoring women's safety", Meena said in a tweet in Hindi while sharing extremely graphic pictures of the gory incident.
A special team has reportedly been formed to investigate the murder, and the body has been sent for an autopsy.