Days Before Death, Unnao Rape Victim’s Father Had Named BJP MLA's Brother and Aides as Attackers

Lucknow: The Allahabad high court on Wednesday ordered to stop the cremation of Unnao rape survivor’s father even as the accused BJP MLA’s wife threatened to give up her life if her husband is proven guilty.

Two days after Unnao rape survivor’s father died due to shock and septicaemia, the chief justice took suo moto cognisance of the letter written by the 18-year-old girl and said that if her father’s body has not been cremated, it should be put on hold. The matter has been posted for hearing on Thursday.

On the other hand, Bangarmau BJP MLA’s wife Sangeeta Sengar said that her husband is innocent. "If he is proven guilty, the entire family will give up their lives. The way evidences are being hidden, it is not correct, we want justice," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

Earlier in the day, Sangeeta met UP DGP and demanded NARCO test of the survivor and her husband, Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

“There is a political conspiracy to defame my family. I demand NARCO test of the girl, her uncle, as well as my husband. The truth will be out in the open. Our entire family is undergoing mental trauma,” Sengar said after meeting UP Director General of Police O P Singh.

The survivor had tried to immolate herself near UP CM's residence on Sunday after alleging that she was raped by the BJP MLA and his brothers. However, a day later, her father died at a hospital.

The father was in custody in Unnao when the incident occurred, prompting the girl to charge that he was killed inside the district jail at the behest of the BJP MLA. The post-mortem report suggested that he died due to shock and septicaemia as "all the ante-mortem injuries on the victim’s body were fatal".

According to the rape survivor’s complaint, Sengar's brother Atul and his aides pulled out the girl's father from his house in Unnao, before the father's arrest, and verbally abused him and assaulted him after tying him to a tree to deter him from pursuing the gang-rape case. Soon after, a team of Lucknow Crime Branch arrested Atul from his home.

Adding to the recent charges, a video of the girl's father emerged on Wednesday where he is accusing Sengar’s brother Atul and accomplices of thrashing him up "mercilessly". He also alleged that instead of rescuing him, the police was acting as mere spectators.

In the video, which is said to be of 3rd April, survivor's father can be seen saying, “I was beaten up by the brother of the MLA and his four aides in the presence of the police. Police did not stop them from beating me up neither they saved me.” Wearing a dark blue t-shirt and with visible bruises on his face, the father of said that he was beaten up mercilessly by Atul.

“The girl has not been able to give any evidence against my husband, and yet my husband has been termed as a rapist. The girl has slapped rape charges in the past, too, on one the boys in her village,” Sengar's wife said, adding that proper investigation should be done in the matter and if the rape charges are found to be false, then the girl and her uncle should be imprisoned.

The survivor's family has also demanded a CBI inquiry into the death of her father. Hearing a petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will hear the plea for CBI probe next week.

Alleging that the complaint had not mentioned the name of the legislator "under political pressure" and that the state police would not carry out a "fair investigation under compulsion", the petition said the matter should be handed over to the CBI for an independent investigation.

The public interest petition also sought protection and compensation to the victims' kin, as was provided in the Nirbhaya gangrape case.

Meanwhile, news agency ANI quoted ADG Lucknow zone Rajeev Krishna saying that the girl's family will be provided full security.

"They have a relative in Delhi, now it is their decision if they want to live here in Unnao or in Delhi. We have come here to investigate. I will send the interim report to the state government by this evening. All the angles are being investigated. There is no pressure on the SIT. It is working independently," Krishna, who is heading the SIT, said.

(With inputs from PTI)