The Unnao rape survivor met Rahul Gandhi, seeking his support for justice and personal safety, hours after she was removed by police from a protest at India Gate. The survivor met Gandhi a day after the Delhi High Court suspended the sentence of her convicted assailant, former MLA Kuldeep Sengar and expressed her intent to challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court.
According to Deccan Herald, the survivor met Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, requesting assistance in securing a top lawyer for her Supreme Court appeal and help with relocation to a safer state. She described the court’s decision as “kaal (death)” for her family and reiterated her demand for justice.
Gandhi questioned whether the treatment of the survivor was appropriate and called the bail “extremely disappointing and shameful,” especially as the survivor continued to face harassment and fear.
Gandhi posted on X, “Is such treatment of a gang rape survivor appropriate? Is her ‘fault’ that she has the courage to raise her voice for justice?” He further stated that the survivor was being “repeatedly harassed” and “is living under the shadow of fear.”
“Bail for rapists, and treating survivors like criminals—what kind of justice is this? We are not just becoming a dead economy—with such inhuman incidents, we are also turning into a dead society. In a democracy, raising a voice of dissent is a right, and suppressing it is a crime. The survivor deserves respect, safety, and justice—not helplessness, fear, and injustice,” Gandhi said.
Hindustan Times noted that the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar’s sentence and ordered his release on bail pending his appeal. The survivor, who was a minor at the time of the 2017 crime, stated she would move the Supreme Court against the order. The court directed Sengar not to approach within five kilometres of the survivor’s residence and warned that any violation would result in cancellation of bail.
Sengar remains in jail for a separate conviction related to the custodial death of the survivor’s father. The survivor and her mother had staged a protest near Mandi House before being removed by police. The survivor’s family has expressed ongoing concerns for their safety.
“He is a powerful man. He would get his men to do his dirty work for him. When my car met with an accident in which two of my relatives and my lawyer died in 2019, Sengar didn’t do it himself. His henchmen did. Now that he is out, we are all unsafe,” the survivor said, as quoted by HT.
Detailed in this article, the survivor’s husband also sought Gandhi’s help in finding better employment. Senior political leaders, including Brinda Karat, criticised the bail order, calling it a “very wrong precedent” for women seeking justice.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.