Unnao Rape: MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar Transferred to Sitapur Jail

An 18-year-old girl along with her family members tried to immolate herself outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s house on 8 April. The girl alleged that she was raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017.

She also claimed that no action had been taken against the MLA or his brothers despite several complaints to the police.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar rejected the charges against him as a conspiracy by his opponents. He further said that the complainant belonged to a "low class".

Speaking to mediapersons, Sengar demanded a high-level inquiry and sought action against those guilty, but refused to comment on speculation about him being summoned by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, accused of raping an 18-year-old in Unnao last year, was transferred to Sitapur jail on Tuesday, 8 May, following an appeal lodged by the girl’s family in the Allahabad High Court.

The 18-year-old girl, who accused Sengar and his brothers of raping her in 2017, had also alleged that the MLA is to be blamed for the death of her father in custody.

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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the situation and has assured that action will be taken against the guilty.

He aid, “The incident is unfortunate. Lucknow ADG has been asked to give his report and probe the matter, and if any policeman is found guilty, action will be taken. Whosoever is guilty will not be spared.”

However, while speaking to ANI, the girl had said:

The girl’s father was arrested on 5 April under the Arms Act after he was allegedly beaten up by Anil Singh, the MLA's brother and four other men.

He died at a district hospital after he was shifted there from the jail on 9 April.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi had lashed out at the Yogi Adityanth-led government in UP, questioning the father’s alleged “custodial” death, and asking why the MLA had not been arrested yet.

Later on 9 April, a copy of the FIR registered in the rape case revealed that Sengar’s name was not mentioned in it, reported ANI.

The Unnao SP on 10 April, said six policemen, including Makhi SHO Ashok Kumar Singh, the outpost in-charge and four beat constables were suspended. According to Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar, a magisterial probe has been ordered to investigate the death of the woman’s father.

The police arrested Atul Singh, brother of a BJP MLA, in connection with the alleged gangrape of an 18-year-old woman and her father’s custodial death in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district on 10 April.

A home department spokesman said a case had been registered against Atul Singh under various IPC sections including 302 (murder).

Earlier, four persons – Sonu, Baua, Vinit and Shailu – were arrested for allegedly beating up the woman's father.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the incident and a plea was moved in the Supreme Court for a CBI probe into the matter.

“The entire issue will be reconstructed and whoever is culpable and had tried to shield any person will be taken to task," Kumar added.

As the incident sparked outrage, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the home department to ensure that the SIT visits Unnao and submits a report by the evening of 11 April.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on 10 April, sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the state police chief, seeking a detailed report on the incident and askING the authorities to ensure the aggrieved family was not subjected to further harassment.

The Commission observed that the allegations, if true, raised a serious issue of violation of human rights of the family.

Meanwhile, opposition Samajwadi Party workers staged a demonstration in Lucknow’s Hazratganj area on 10 April, demanding immediate arrest of the BJP MLA.

A five-member fact-finding team has been constituted by the party to visit Unnao, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

The women’s wing of the Congress party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging dereliction of duty on his part over the gangrape of an 18-year-old woman and the death of her father in police custody in Unnao district.

The death of her father prompted the woman to put the blame on the lawmaker.

He was "killed at the behest of the BJP MLA" inside the jail, she alleged. "We were getting threats and they killed my father," she told the media.

The post-mortem report of the woman’s father has revealed that he died due to septicemia, which is a kind of a bloodstream infection or blood poisoning, reported The Times of India (TOI).

The post-mortem report also states that he wasn’t given proper medical treatment in the judicial custody which led to his death, as per TOI.

Sangeeta Sengar, wife of accused MLA Kuldeep Sengar, met DGP OP Singh in Lucknow, on 11 April. “I have come to plead for justice for my husband,” she told reporters.

Alleging a political conspiracy, she told ANI:

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea filed by a lawyer in the Unnao rape case, and posted the matter for next week. The lawyer in his petition sought a CBI inquiry and compensation for the family of the girl.

The rape survivor appealed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for justice in the case. Alleging that the district magistrate had confined her to a hotel room, she said she only wanted the culprit to be punished.

The Special Investigation Team, constituted by CM Adityanath to probe the case, has arrived at the residence of the rape survivor in Unnao. The SIT, headed by ADG Rajeev Krishna, is expected to submit a report later this evening.

The Allahabad High Court has taken suo-motu cognizance of the matter, and will hear the case on Thursday, 12 April. The court also appointed an amicus curiae in the case.

Speaking to ANI about the SIT probe, ADG Lucknow, Rajeev Krishna said:

He added that the family would be provided full security by police personnel.

The Allahabad High Court today ordered that the body of the Unnao gangrape victim's father should not be cremated, if already not done so.

A bench of Chief Justice D B Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar passed the order taking cognisance of the gangrape case in Uttar Pradesh on a letter to the court by senior lawyer Gopal Swaroop Chaturvedi detailing the incident.

"If the body has not been cremated, then it shall not be cremated," the court said.

BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar reportedly invited the teenager to his house on 4 June 2017, with the promise of a job. He allegedly raped her on the same day, while his accomplice played the watchdog.

Speaking to the Print, the victim reportedly said:

BJP’s Dipti Bharadwaj on Wednesday, 11 April revealed that party president Amit Shah has been informe about the Unnao rape, and asserted that the case has “disgraced” their party.

BJP MLA from Bairia Surendra Singh defended Kuldeep Sengar, by making a bizarre statement that “no one can rape a mother of three children”.

BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar likely to surrender before Lucknow police tonight after direction from BJP leadership, media reports. Earlier, he was going to be arrested tomorrow morning.

He met his ailing wife in the hospital. While speaking to India Today he said, “That the father was bashed up due to a family feud and my brother was wrongly accused.

“I will follow the orders of our Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” he further added.

High voltage drama outside SSP’s residence. Unnao rape accused BJP MLA said that he isn’t running away anywhere and that the SSP can call him whenever needed. He drove away from the residence of the SSP following a scuffle with the media.

He also said, “Will surrender if there's a warrant.”

UP government has decided to file an FIR under appropriate sections considering allegations of rape on Kuldeep Sengar & his brothers. The case is to be handed over to CBI for further investigation, ANI reported.

The decision has been taken after the SIT found serious lapses in the investigation, not just by the police but also the doctors. The government has also decided to suspend 2 doctors. Further, a decision to give security to the victim’s family has been taken.

A video surfaced on Wednesday, 11 April which shows the victim’s father blaming Sengar’s brothers for assaulting him. He mentions that the cops were present but they remained mute spectators.

The Quint could not independently verify the authenticity of this video.

An FIR has been registered against BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, confirmed Police SO Rajesh Singh. Sengar has been booked under sections 363, 366, 376 ,506 and POCSO act.

Addressing a press conference after filing an FIR against the BJP MLA, the UP Police said that the case has now been transferred to the CBI for further investigation.

Till the premier investigating agency takes over, the local police will continue with the probe, Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said.

The letter for handing over the probe to the CBI for maintaining total transparency in the case will be sent today, he told reporters.

Surendra Singh, the BJP MLA from UP’s Bairia today demanded that a narco test be conducted on Sengar to affirm his culpability. He however alleged that the survivor had earlier filed a ‘false’ case against another man, sending him to jail for 6 months.

Hours after the Uttar Pradesh government transferred the case to the CBI, the rape survivor told the media that she was scared for her uncle’s life. Demanding that the MLA be arrested as soon as possible, she said:

The Allahabad High Court, which was hearing the case on a suo-motu basis on Wednesday, 11 April, questioned why the accused MLA has not been arrested. The court instructed the state government counsel to give an answer post lunch break.

The Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his silence over the Unnao rape case, and questioned why the accused BJP MLA was been arrested yet.

Speaking to reporters, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal alleged Modi was “not serious” about the crimes against women across the country. Sibal asked the prime minister to observe a fast over rape incidents and register his protest against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the Unnao incident.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a countrywide fast on Wednesday, 11 April, to corner the Opposition over the recent washout of the Budget session of Parliament.

Sibal, referring to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) report for 2016, also said that the BJP-ruled states have the highest crime rates against women.

Union Minister Satyapal Singh on Thursday, 12 April, said that the Special Investigating Team (SIT) has submitted its report on the Unnao rape case and strict action would be taken against the guilty.

However, he said he did not know about the degree of Sengar’s involvement.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi, speaking about Unnao rape case claimed that action has been taken in the Unnao rape case.

The Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal reportedly wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Unnao and Kathua incidents and said that she will go on “indefinite hunger strike” from Friday, 12 April onwards. She asked for death penalty for the accused in her letter, reported Times Now.

The Allahabad High Court will pronounce its order in the Unnao rape case at 2 pm on Friday, 13 April, reported ANI.

Speaking on both Kathua and Unnao rape cases, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said that the government had made the right decision to refer the matter to CBI.

A SIT formed by the Uttar Pradesh government reached Unnao on Thursday, 12 April in order to record the statement of the family, reported News18. The team reportedly took statements of the girl’s mother and uncle.

This is the second visit of the SIT to Unnao.

All India Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev announced that the body will hold protests across the country against the “jhumla” of the BJP government in Centre.

The Unnao rape case has been handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) upon Prime Minister’s Office’s (PMO) intervention, reported ANI, quoting sources.

National Commission for Women on Thursday issued notice to BJP MLA from Bairia Surendra Singh over his comment on Unnao rape case, reported ANI.

Unnao rape accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been detained by CBI, reported ANI. The MLA was reportedly picked up by the agency from his Lucknow residence.

The agency has registered three cases against Sengar, and questioning is currently underway.

The cases pertain to the alleged rape of the girl, her father's killing and a case of arms act which was slapped on her father in which he was arrested by local police.

Hours after the MLA was detained by the CBI for questioning, the rape survivor said that she wanted the agency to take ‘strict action’ against the accused.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Friday told reporters that his government had a ‘zero tolerance policy towards crimes’. Vowing action against the guilty, ABP News reported the CM saying:

In an interview with The Indian Express, the Unnao rape victims said that she used to call the accused BJP MLA kulddeep Singh Sengar ‘Bhaiyya’, before the incident.

Their families lived opposite each other in Makhi village, and had enjoyed ‘cordial relations’ at one point.

However, the girl alleges that she was raped by the MLA when she was called to his house on 4 June last year, under the pretense of a ‘job opportunity’.

The girl had reportedly written to the UP DGP, President and Prime Minister seeking help, after her pleas went unheard by the Chief Minister’s office.

Speaking on behalf of the Central government, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said the incident had occured 10 months ago, and action was taken as soon as the woman wrote a latter naming the BJP MLA as an accused. Addressing the media, Lekhi said:

Lekhi also blamed the opposition for not taking into account the strict action initiated by the state government, before blaming the central government for its lapses.

Speaking to reporters, Maneka Gandhi, the Minister for Women and Child Development, said that the government was mulling on a law that legalises death penalty for persons convicted of raping minors be;ow the age of 12 years.

Slamming the media for its reportage, she said:

Union Minister Smriti Irani has broken her silence over the Unnao rape, condemning the opposition’s attempts the ‘politicise’ the issue.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s midnight protest march, Irani, who is currently in Amethi, said:

She also affirmed that the law and administration will take its course in the case, requesting that ‘victim-shaming’ not be done.

Breaking his silence on the Unnao rape case on Friday, in which one of his party MLAs is the accused, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his government had not deviated from its zero-tolerance policy on crime and corruption.

Senior Uttar Pradesh minister and spokesperson of the state government Siddharth Nath Singh said law will take its own course, lashing out at the Opposition for "shedding crocodile tears" on the issue of women's safety.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 13 April, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on violence against women and children, saying it was "unacceptable" and India was waiting for him to speak up.

The Congress chief's comments come a day after he led a midnight march to India Gate in New Delhi to protest against the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. He said it was time for Modi to walk the talk on 'beti bachao' (save the girl child).

Directly addressing the prime minister on Twitter, Gandhi also asked why the accused rapists and murderers were "protected by the state.”

The Allahabad High Court on Friday, 13 April, directed the CBI to arrest BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DB Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar gave the direction to the agency after the counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government informed that Sengar has been detained for interrogation and not arrested yet.

The court directed the CBI to carry out investigation strictly in accordance with law and to consider filing an application for cancellation of bail granted to the other accused in the case.

It also directed the CBI to file a status report by 2 May.

Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said:

“The incidents of the past two days are an embarrassment to civilised society. We bow our heads in shame before the founding figures of the nation. No culprit will be spared, justice will be done. Those daughters will get due justice, and all of us have to fix the problem together. The guilty will not go unpunished and the Government of India will leave no stone unturned to ensure that happens.”

BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, accused of raping an 18-year-old in Unnao last year, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday evening. The victim has alleged that on 4 June 2017, she was raped by the MLA at his residence when she had gone to meet him, along with a relative, seeking a job.

In February, the girl's family had moved court, seeking to include the MLA's name in the case. Subsequently, the victim's father was booked by the police under the Arms Act on 3 April and put in jail on 5 April.

Frustrated with the alleged police inaction on her complaint and coercion from influential people, the victim had attempted self-immolation in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence on April 8.

Earlier, the Allahabad High Court reprimanded the Yogi government for showing laxity and delaying the arrest of the accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

According to a report in The Times of India (ToI), senior advocate general Raghvendra Singh told the court that an application was sent to the CM’s office on 17 August 2017 in which charges of rape were leveled against the BJP MLA.

A senior advocate had written a letter to the High Court telling them about this application. However, no action was taken against the culprits.

The court in in its judgment observed, “ What is disturbing is that the father of the prosecutrix, for no reason, came to be arrested and was in custody, where, we are informed, he was mercilessly beaten and he succumbed to the injuries on April 10, 2018. We fail to understand why the investigating agency, instead of arresting accused persons, arrested the complainant, in connection with this case,” reported ToI.

Stepping up the attack on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the Unnao rape case, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday held the state director general of police (DGP) and principal secretary (home) responsible for "shielding" the accused MLA of the ruling party.

"The DGP and the principal secretary (home) were shielding the accused. The entire country has seen how they were referring to him (the MLA) as 'mananiya' (honourable) at a press conference," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister told reporters at the SP office in Lucknow.

"This government is perpetrating atrocities on the people and opposition party leaders," he alleged.

The CBI recieved 7 days remand for Kuldeep Singh Sengar. While leaving the court Sengar also appealed to the media to show the truth

The CBI on Saturday made a second arrest in the Unnao rape case as it took into custody Shashi Singh, the woman who allegedly took the victim to BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar on the day of crime.

The victim's mother has alleged in the complaint given to the UP Police, which is now part of the CBI FIR, that the woman lured her daughter to the MLA after which he raped her.

She has also alleged that while the MLA was raping her daughter, Shashi Singh stood outside the room as a guard.

Workers and members of the Congress party in Shimla held a candlelight march against the Kathua and Unnao rapes.

The uncle of Unnao rape case survivor on Sunday, 15 April alleged that some goons associated with MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar threatened them to either leave the village or keep quiet.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s aide Shashi Singh was reportedly presented at a CBI special court on Sunday, 15 April.

The Unnoa rape survivor recorded her statement in the CBI court under section 164 CrPC today.

The BJP MLA accused in the case, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, was transferred to Sitapur jail on Tuesday, 8 May.

The move to shift him from Unnao jail to Sitapur jail came after the victim's family made an appeal in the Allahabad High Court to shift him, reports The Indian Express.

It adds that the government had also removed the 'Y' category security cover of Sengar earlier in April, which contained 11 personnel, including one or two commandos and police personnel.