I’ll consult my lawyers on the CBI’s charge sheet and fight for justice. I will get justice from the court. All the allegations against me are false.Kuldeep Singh Sengar, BJP MLA, Unnao in response to being charged with rape, abduction, and criminal intimidation
Unnao BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar claimed that he was being falsely implicated, in response to a CBI charge sheet accusing him of rape, criminal intimidation, and abduction among other crimes.
The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a charge sheet against rape-accused Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar on Wednesday, 11 July, reported ANI.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet against five men including Sengar's brother Atul Singh Sengar on 7 July.
The charge sheet was filed in a case related to the death of a gang-rape survivor's father in police custody in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in April 2018, an official had said on 7 July.
On 13 July, CBI filed another chargesheet against 10 persons including 3 police officials of Makhi police station, Unnao including Sengar and his brother under Arms Act.This case was registered on 12 April under section 3 and 25 of the Arms Act.
What are the Charges Against Sengar?
- Section 376(1) of the IPC (Punishment for Rape): Sengar, who was accused of abducting and gang-raping a woman in April 2018, has been charged with rape, for which the punishment cannot be less than seven years in jail and could extend to life in prison.
- Section 363 of the IPC (Punishment for Kidnapping): Sengar has been charged with the offence of kidnapping, for which the punishment may extend to seven years in jail, and a fine.
- Section 366 of the IPC (Abducting a Woman): The chargesheet also brings the charge of abduction or kidnapping of a woman against the Unnao MLA, for which he could face jail time of upto 10 years.
- Section 120B of the IPC (Punishment for Criminal Conspiracy): Sengar has been charged for being a part of a criminal conspiracy to commit a criminal offence in the CBI chargesheet. Punishment for the same is rigorous imprisonment for two years and upwards.
- Section 506 of the IPC (Punishment for Criminal Intimidation): Sengar has been charged with criminal intimidation, and could face two years in jail and a fine for the same.
Who is Unnao MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar?
51-year-old Sengar is a resident of Makhi in Unnao district. He won the region’s Bangarmau Vidhan Sabha seat in the 2017 elections by a margin of nearly 30,000 votes.
He has a smooth electoral record albeit with a number of political parties.
In April 2018, an 18-year-old woman alleged that she was raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his brothers. On the morning of 9 April 2018, her father died in police custody in Unnao, prompting her to claim that he was killed inside jail at the behest of the lawmaker.
Sengar rejected the charge as a conspiracy by his opponents and added that the complainant belonged to a "low class".
"Yeh nimn star ke log hain (They are low-status people)... This is a conspiracy by my opponents," Sengar had told reporters in April.
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