Amid mounting pressure on the Uttar Pradesh police to solve the Unnao gang-rape case and custodial death of the minor victim’s father, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Acting on a request by senior advocate Gopal S. Chaturvedi for a court-monitored probe, the HC admitted his letter as a Public Interest Litigation plea. The matter will come up on Thursday.
The court said that as per the submission made by Mr. Chaturvedi, it found it “disturbing” that the father of the rape victim was arrested by police “for no reason” and was “mercilessly beaten” while in custody.
“We fail to understand why the investigating agency instead of arresting the accused persons, arrested the complainant, in connection with this case,” said a Division Bench of Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar.
Mr. Chaturvedi submitted that though the offence came to be registered on the basis of an FIR lodged by the father of the girl, naming BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar as main accused, the investigating agency has not arrested him till date. The court has requested Mr. Chaturvedi to appear in the case as amicus curiae.
Meanwhile, the five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the government to probe the entire issue, the gang-rape allegations as well as the custodial death of the rape victim’s father, visited Unnao and questioned both sides.
A large number of the MLA’s supporters had gathered at the site, prompting the victim’s side to allege that the police team was being pressured to go soft on the MLA. Lucknow Additional Director-General of police Rajeev Krishna, who is monitoring the probe, said there was no pressure on the SIT.
Late night drama
Meanwhile, late on Wednesday night, the MLA arrived at the residence of the Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), sparking speculation that he had come to surrender as the SIT’s interim report submitted to the government earlier in the day was allegedly adverse to him.
Mr. Sengar, however, clarified that he had come to prove that he was not absconding. The MLA and his aides had a minor scuffle with the media outside the SSP office.
There was no confirmation from the police as to what was discussed between Mr. Sengar and the SSP.
LUCKNOW, UTTAR PRADESH:10/04/2018:UNNAO RAPE CASE :: Sangeeta Singh Sengar, a zilla panchayat head in Unnao, and wife of BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar after meeting the DGP in Lucknow on Wednesday. Kuldeep is an accused in Rape of a 17 yers old girl and custodial death of her father after severe assaults allegedly by MLA's brother Atul Singh Sengar (arrested in this case). Sangeeta is fearing arrest of her MLA husband, demanded that a narco test be conducted of him and as well as of the minor from Unnao, who has accused her husband of gang-raping her along with his accomplices. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt
Wife demands narco test
Meanwhile, the wife of the MLA demanded on Wednesday that a narco-test be conducted on him as well as the minor girl. Sangeeta Singh Sengar placed the demand before Uttar Pradesh Director-General of Police O.P. Singh here. She is a zilla panchayat head in Unnao, a post she won in 2015 while her husband was with the Samajwadi Party.
“Even without a probe, they have already declared him a rapist. They must conduct a narco test,” Ms. Sengar told reporters in Lucknow.
She alleged that there was a “political issue” behind the rape allegations against her husband who she said was being “made a pawn.”
“My husband is innocent...I have full sympathy with that girl. Her honour is also being torn to shreds,” Ms. Sengar said.
