Punjab election officer pulled up after Nirbhaya rape convict's photo appears on poll hoarding

File photo of rape convict Mukesh Singh being accompanied by cops (Image: Reuters)

A notice was issued by the Election Commission against the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Punjab on Monday after the picture of a Nirbhaya rape convict appeared on a poll hoarding.

It has been alleged that the picture of the 2012 rape convict identified as Mukesh Singh was put up by a district poll panel. The election commission issued the notice after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) took the matter up with the regulatory agency.

The Punjab CEO has been asked to submit a report by July 30, explaining why the hoarding with the rape convict’s picture was put up by the Hoshiarpur district election office.

Mukesh Singh was among the six men who were party to a 23-year-old paramedical student’s macabre gangrape inside a moving bus on the fateful night of December 16, 2012. She succumbed to her internal injuries later while receiving treatment in Singapore.

The victim’s mother had informed DCW chief Swati Maliwal about the picture of the hoarding that was being circulated on social media, following which she issued a notice to the Election Commission. It read: “This is a matter of great shame as it is a clear incident of glorification of rape convict. The matter has caused great pain and hurt not only to the parents of the victim but also to all victims of sexual violence.”

Maliwal sought strict actions against those who are responsible for this hoarding and also asked the EC to hold the officers accountable.

According to an Indian Express report, the DCW also asked for the details of the officers responsible for the act and also information on what punitive action has been taken against them. That apart, Maliwal has also sought assurance from the EC that such hoardings won’t spring up again.