AGENCIES
A murder case was filed against BJP legislator Kuldeep Sengar after yesterday’s accident in Raebareli, in which two women died and a teenager he allegedly raped two years ago, got injured and is in a critical condition.
The teen’s mother said the accident was meant to “eliminate” her daughter and that Kuldeep Sengar was plotting against them from jail. One of the two deceased aunts of the girl was a witness in the rape case. The police had said initial investigations indicate that it was an accident. The girl was not accompanied by the security personnel assigned to her, and the truck that hit the car had its number plates scrubbed with black paint.
“It was not an accident but a conspiracy to eliminate all of us… The son of a co-accused in the case, Shahi Singh, and another youth of the village had threatened us,” the teen’s mother was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. “I have got to know that the lawmaker got it done. He is doing everything from inside jail,” she said.
Meanwhile doctors at the Lucknow hospital where the teen is admitted, said she has extensive fractures on her ribs, collarbone, an arm and a leg. She is in a critical condition and on ventilator.
At a press conference today, the police said they have arrested the truck driver and the owner. The number plates, the owner allegedly said, were defaced to stop identification of the vehicle as he had defaulted on the payments for the vehicle loan.
The teen, the police said, was assigned nine security personnel, including a gunner. The gunner, Suresh, told NDTV that the security personnel were asked to stay back as “there was no space in the car”. “Aunty said there was nothing to worry about since five people were going and that they would be back by evening,” he said.
About the girl’s mother’s claim that the family was being threatened by Kuldeep Sengar and his men, the police said, “We are inquiring whether this was the case. They had security with them. We are looking into whether they had said this to the police”.
The family, residents of Unnao – around 45 km from state capital Lucknow – was on its way to the district jail in Rae Bareli yesterday to meet her uncle, who is serving a life term in a separate case. Amid a heavy downpour, their car had a head-on collision with a truck, which, eyewitnesses said, was speeding.
Kuldeep Sengar – a four-time legislator who represents Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly – has been in prison for a year over the alleged rape, which took place in 2017. The girl alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the lawmaker when she went to his Unnao home to seek a job. Kuldeep Sengar’s brother Atul Sengar has been accused of murdering the girl’s father, who was pursuing the case.
The case made it to national headlines after the girl and her mother attempted to immolate themselves in front of the house of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last year. The girl’s father, who was arrested and accused of illegal arms possession, died in police custody. Before the arrest, he was beaten up by Atul Sengar and his men. Postmortem report showed extensive injuries.
The matter created ripples in parliament, where the upper house, Rajya Sabha, was adjourned till noon following Opposition protests. The National Commission for Women is taking cognizance of the Unnao rape case and yesterday’s accident. The Commission said it is writing to the Uttar Pradesh Police and a team will visit them shortly.
UP Govt for CBI probe into road accident of Unnao rape victim
AGENCIES / LUCKNOW / NEW DELHI
Uttar Pradesh government has decided to hand over the investigation of the road accident in Raibareli to the CBI in which 2 persons were killed and the survivor of Unnao rape case got critically injured on Sunday.
ADG Police of Lucknow zone Rajiv Krishna and Inspector General Lucknow SK Bhagat told media in Lucknow that a complaint from one Mahesh Singh from the victim’s side has been received and a case is being filed in Raibareli and the police have forwarded the family’s request for a CBI probe to the government.
The government will now seek a CBI probe. Forensic teams are also checking the case if Unnao rape survivor’s car crash was accident or death trap by the truck whose registration plate was allegedly scrubbed and painted black.
At a press conference today, police said that they have arrested the truck driver and the owner.
The number plates, the owner allegedly said, were defaced to stop identification of the vehicle as he had defaulted on the payments for the vehicle loan.
BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, currently lodged in jail is the prime accused in connection with the rape of a minor girl in Unnao, which was committed last year.
An FIR has been registered against BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, his brother Manoj Singh Sengar & 8 others in connection with this accident.
Yesterday a car in which the Unnao rape survivor was travelling was hit by a truck.
The accident left the woman and her lawyer with critical injuries and killed her two aunts who were also travelling with her in the car.
The accident happened while the family was on its way to meet the woman’s uncle, who is lodged in a Rae Bareli jail in a separate case. Meanwhile, the State government has announced free treatment for the injured victim
NCW asks UP police to ensure fair probe in Unnao rape case
AGENCIES / NEW DELHI
Meanwhile,National Commission for Women, NCW has asked the Uttar Pradesh police to ensure a free, fair and speedy probe in Unnao rape case.
A day after the Unnao rape survivor was critically injured in an accident, NCW said, a team of the Commission will meet the victim and her family members.
Taking suo moto cognizance of the case, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said, the commission is seriously concerned about the unfortunate incident.
In its notice to Uttar Pradesh DGP, O P Singh, the Commission also demanded that the NCW be kept apprised at every stage of the investigation.
In a series if tweets, Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi targetted the state’s BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath. “So a woman is allegedly raped by a BJP MLA. Her father is beaten up and dies in custody. A key witness dies mysteriously last year. Now her aunt who was also a witness is killed and her lawyer is critically injured in an accident caused by a truck with blackened number plates… The accused continues as a BJP legislator, and the BJP State Government has the audacity to run a ‘Fear-free UP’ campaign???”