Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh of a conspiracy in the Ayodhya gang-rape case with an objective to malign the opposition party.

“The BJP wants to start a conspiracy before the by-elections to 10 UP assembly seats. Their aim from the very first day has been to defame the socialists and especially their thinking about Muslims is undemocratic and unconstitutional,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

Hitting out at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh Yadav said, “If a ‘yogi’ does not believe in democracy and the Constitution, he cannot be a ‘yogi’.”

This is not the first time that Akhilesh Yadav has slammed the Uttar Pradesh government over the Ayodhya gang-rape issue. On Sunday, the SP chief had urged the court to order protection for the gang-rape survivor, considering the “sensitivity” of the case. He also said people were trying to “politicise” the case, and that such people must not be allowed to succeed.

“The government should make the best possible medical arrangements for the rape survivor. It is the government’s responsibility to protect the girl’s life,” Akhilesh Yadav said in a post on X.

The 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two men in Ayodhya. In action which followed the incident, two Uttar Pradesh cops were suspended for the delay in carrying out the investigation in the case.

Notably, bakery owner Moid Khan and his employee Raju Khan were arrested on July 30 from the Purakalandar area of Ayodhya in connection with the case.

According to sources in the police, the teen was raped by the duo two months ago and the act was also recorded. The incident came to light when a recent medical examination revealed that the teenage girl was pregnant.

Later, speaking in the UP assembly on Thursday, Yogi Adityanath claimed that Moid Khan belonged to the Samajwadi Party.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Moid Khan, the Samajwadi Party leader who has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in Ayodhya district, has a long history of criminal activities. However, the political influence he held in the area deterred local administration and law enforcement agencies from acting against him.

His arrest in the gang-rape case is the first substantial action taken against him in 12 years. Moid Khan’s influence had been cultivated over two decades through his connections with powerful figures in the Samajwadi Party. He was particularly close to Awadhesh Prasad,the  Samajwadi Party MP from Faizabad.

One of the most notable incidents linked to Moid Khan occurred on October 24, 2012. During the Durga Puja procession in Bhadrasa, a communal riot broke out, resulting in an attack on the Hindu procession and the murder of a man, Bhola Gupta. Moid Khan, along with a few others, was accused of inciting the riot and murder. In 2012, leveraging his close ties with Samajwadi Party MP, Moid Khan became the municipal unit president of the Samajwadi Party, a position he continues to hold.

Despite his limited formal education, having only attended a madrasa, Moid Khan amassed considerable wealth and influence. A shopping complex housing a private bank, identified by the Revenue Department for demolition due to illegal occupation of government land, also reportedly belongs to his relative residing abroad.

Following Moid Khan’s recent arrest, several Dalit families have come forward and accused him of grabbing their lands. The district administration is currently investigating his properties, with suspicions that Moid Khan has invested his relatives’ overseas earnings in various assets. Properties under his and his associates’ names are now under scrutiny.