In a dramatic series of events that highlight the tense political rivalry in India's most populous state, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Congress's leader in Uttar Pradesh state, was placed in custody for 14 days after she made a speech in which she criticised chief minister Mayawati's policy towards rape victims. Her house in the state capital, Lucknow, was set ablaze, apparently by members of Mayawati's own party.
Ms Joshi's speech had been about the notorious law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and the increasing number of rapes being reported. She said that in some cases women were being paid compensation of 25,000 rupees (£310) by the state authorities after being attacked.
Criticising the policy in front of a meeting of party workers, she said giving money to such victims was not sufficient. In her speech, broadcast by several television channels, she said that women who had been raped should "throw the money at Mayawati's face and tell her 'You should also be raped and I will give you 10 million rupees'."
Within hours of making her comments, Ms Joshi was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning on the outskirts of Delhi. She was told she was being charged with making provocative statements that create "disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will" between people of different castes or communities.
Having allegedly insulted the Dalit leader, she has been also charged under a law that prohibits making offensive statements against people of lower castes. Dalits, formerly known as Untouchables, are at the very bottom of India's caste system. Last night, Ms Joshi said she had only been trying to "expose a chief minister who has no sympathy for women". She added: "I regret what I said in a fit of anger. If it is being misconstrued, if it's being misinterpreted... then I regret it. I am myself a woman and I should not have spoken these words.
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