Unnao rape: After victim's father dies in police custody, administration rushes to fix accountability

Unnao: A day after the custodial death of Surendra Kumar, the father of the woman who levelled rape allegations against BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the Unnao district administration seemed in a rush to fix accountability. [caption id=“attachment_4426089” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] The police arrested Sengar’s brother Atul in connection with the case and suspended six personnel from Makhi police station. District Magistrate Ravi Kumar met the woman on Tuesday and assured her of all possible help. The victim alleged that police did not cooperate in naming the BJP MLA in the first FIR she filed three months ago, and that her father was beaten by Atul and his cohorts in their presence on their way to  court on 3 April. She said that instead of registering their complaint, Makhi Police arrested her father under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Her father was reportedly sick while he was in police custody for four days.

The victim, weeping, told this reporter: “I was threatened by the goons of MLA Sengar. I am scared with what has been done to me and my family”.

On Sunday, the 18-year-old tried to immolate herself in front of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence to protest police inaction. A special investigation team has been formed by the Uttar Pradesh Police to probe the rape allegation levelled against the MLA from Bangarmau. Additional Director General (law and order) Anand Kumar said the postmortem, conducted by three doctors, showed the death occurred due to colon perforation. “The doctors concluded that Surendra died of shock and septicaemia due to peritonitis and ascending colon perforation,” Kumar said at a press conference. The viscera has been kept safe, he added.

The postmortem report accessed by Firstpost also mentions that victim’s father had swelling on his arm and there were stitches on one of his eyebrows.

The district magistrate met the victim and her uncle along with his deputy and chief development officer. When asked about the custodial death and rape allegations, the district magistrate replied: “The victim’s family is from socio-economically weaker section. We are chalking out what help can be given to the family”. Kumar added he’d take the woman to Lucknow only if “she wishes to meet the chief minister and speak on this issue”. Surendra’s widow was reported to have left with a bunch of papers to meet Adityanath in Lucknow on Tuesday afternoon. The state home department told Firstpost a probe has been ordered by Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh and stern action would be taken against anyone found guilty. When questioned about the investigation into the rape allegations and the custodial death, Unnao superintendent of police (SP) Pushpanjali Devi said, “Let the police do its work and wait for the outcome. We are doing what we ought to do. In connection with the death of Surendra Singh, a judicial inquiry will reveal things. Since the person died in police custody I will not speak anything on this”.