Rape has its nature: UP minister Upendra Tiwari (right) | Screenshot from Twitter/ANI

A minister in Uttar Pradesh made a statement on Sunday saying "rape has its nature".

UP minister Upendra Tiwari said, "Dekhiye rape ka nature hota hai, ab jaise agar koi nabalig ladki hai uske sath rape hua hai toh usko to hum rape manenge, lekin kahin-kahin pe ye bhi sunne ko aata hai ko ki vivahit mahila hai, umar 30-35 saal hai, uska alag-alag nature hai."

ENGLISH: Rape has its nature. If a minor is raped then we consider it a case of rape. But, if you come across an incident where a married woman aged 30-35 is raped, then the matter is different.

The minister said that there are instances where people are in a relationship and after a few years they allege that they have been raped; that matter is different from the rape of a minor then.

Watch | UP minister says "rape has its nature"

#WATCH UP Minister Upendra Tiwari: Dekhiye rape ka nature hota hai, ab jaise agar koi nabalig ladki hai uske sath rape hua hai toh usko to hum rape manenge, lekin kahin-kahin pe ye bhi sunne ko aata hai ko ki vivahit mahila hai, umar 30-35 saal hai....uska alag-alag nature hai pic.twitter.com/Ou1AMPsvGB ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 9, 2019

Upendra Tiwari's statement comes at a time when Aligarh murder case is making headlines.

However, the police has ruled out rape in the murder of two-year-old girl in Aligarh.

Rape in India is among top five common crimes against women.

According to an analysis, most of the accused in rape cases are friends or family friends, neighbours, relatives, co-workers, or other known persons.

It was last year in June when Reuters Foundation study declared India to be the most unsafe country for women. Although the findings were based on perception polls rather than actual crime figure.

India does not recognise marital rapes as a criminal offence.

A Hindustan Times report said, according to the 2015-16 National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), around 6 per cent of Indian women aged 15-49 have experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.