Unnao Rape: No FIR Against Accused MLA, Victim’s Family Holed Up

The treatment being metted out to the victim’s family makes one wonder how clean is the government’s intent.

(Photo: Hindi Quint)

There seems to be a new transgression every day in the Unnao rape case. The treatment meted out to the victim's family makes one wonder how clean the government’s intent is.

It has been 72 hours since Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave an assurance of free and fair investigation. However, no FIR has been filed against the accused MLA, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, so far.

On the other hand, under the pretext of ensuring the safety of the victim and her family, the administration has locked them up in a hotel. The victim's family has stated that neither are they being allowed to step out nor is anybody else being allowed to meet them. To make matters worse, in order to isolate them from the outside world, the cable connection of the hotel they are holed up in has been cut off.

On the morning of Wednesday, 11 April, The Quint’s team had a telephonic conversation with the victim’s uncle, Mahesh Singh, about the same. However, when the team attempted to call them back for an update, they were unable to get through. Since then, The Quint has not been able to get in touch with the victim’s family despite repeated attempts.

Before moving ahead, let us have a look at The Quint's conversation with Mahesh Singh.

Reporter: Have you all reached home?

Mahesh Singh: No, district magistrate (DM) sahab had called us to meet the chief minister. However, they put us up in a hotel instead.

Reporter: Who all are with you? Your entire family?

Mahesh Singh: Twenty-seven people in total are here. Our entire family, and others associated with the incident.

Reporter: Where have you all been kept?

Mahesh Singh: We have been placed in a hotel in Unnao. We have been given five rooms, but the TV connection has been cut off in all the rooms.

Reporter: This means you've been locked up there?

Mahesh Singh: Yes. Neither are we allowed to step out nor are we allowed to meet anyone.

During the course of this telephone conversation, Mahesh Singh also informed that the SP had promised them a copy of the FIR. However, by that point, they had not received it.

Family Unable to Pray for the Departed Soul

The entire family, including Pappu Singh’s three-year-old son and 75-year-old mother were taken to the DM’s residence immediately after the funeral.(Photo: Quint Hindi)

In Hindu tradition, the family goes back home and prays for the departed soul after the last rites have been performed. However, the seemingly over-empathising police took from the grieving family that right to mourn and pray after the funeral too. The entire family, including the victim’s father Pappu Singh's three-year-old son and 75-year-old mother were taken to the DM's residence immediately after the funeral.

At that point, The Quint's team was present there too. When the crowd of media reporters intensified, the police disappeared with the grieving family under the pretext of taking them to the chief minister’s house. But the media remained in touch with the family through phone.

On Wednesday morning, The Quint’s reporter spoke to Pappu Singh’s brother, Mahesh, on the same phone. However, now that source of contact has been severed completely as well.

According to news reports, after isolating the grieving family, various members of the police administration having been meeting them one after another. The Special Investigation Team that has been set up to probe the incident has me the family. Other than them, various lower officers have made their acquaintance too. However, the secretive conduict of the police seems rather suspicious.

Accused MLA's Wife Asks for a Narco Test

The accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has put his wife forward in his defence. Sangeeta Sengar, on Wednesday, met the Director General of Police OP Singh in Lucknow and said that all the allegations against her husband are baseless. In this regard, she also asked the director general for a Narco Test.

In order to establish the truth, you should conduct a narco test on my husband Kuldeep Singh Sengar and the girl who has made all these allegations. Till the allegations have been proved, nobody should talk about my husband like a rapist.

Sangeeta Sengar

The Accused Party Given Full Freedom to Present Brand New Arguments

The police has accorded the accused party full liberty to present new arguments as and when they like.(Photo: Hindi Quint)

What's more, the police which has locked the victim's grieving family up, has accorded the accused party full liberty to present new arguments as and when they like. In this regard, Shashi Singh - a woman who had earlier been named in connection with the case by the victim, has raised fresh arguments in defence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar. In the process, she also blamed the victim, referring to her charecter as suspicious.

Shashi Singh alleged that in the previous year the victim had also hurled accusations of rape on her son Shubham Singh. So far the accused MLA and his supporters were asserting that the victim's father and their entire family had spun this yarn in an attempt to avenge previous conflicts and for political reasons. Now the argument has moved one step further. Now suspicion is being raised on the girl and her family's charecter.

In light of these events, it is imperative to ask CM Adityanath if the purpose of law is to safeguard the rights and offer protection to the feeble or to further strengthen the strong? Locking the grieving family up and offering the accused infinite freedom to make any kind of allegation cannot be justice by any extention.

(Translated by Mekhala Saran)

(This piece was originally published on Hindi Quint and has been republished with permission. Read the original story here.)