Unnao rape survivor's condition remains serious; next 48 hours extremely critical, say doctors

Two days after after Unnao rape survivor suffered critical injuries to her body in a car crash in Rae Bareli, doctors said her condition remains serious and the next 48 hours are extremely critical. The woman and her lawyer Mahendra Singh were rushed to the King George’s Medical University Trauma Centre in Lucknow on Monday after the car they were travelling in was hit by a truck. Later, her aunt and a woman relative — who were also hurt in the accident — succumbed to their injuries. [caption id=“attachment_7080741” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The car in which the victim was travelling. ANI[/caption] As reported by News18 on Tuesday, sources from the hospital said the woman suffered a rib fracture, and bleeding in her lungs. “The condition of the woman is serious and she is on ventilator. She has been unconscious since the time of the accident. She suffered serious head injuries and multiple fractures in legs,” said the sources said. “Several chest pipes have been inserted in her body to assist her lung functioning. There is bleeding in her lungs. More than the head injury, it is the fractures and injuries to her lungs that have made her condition critical,” the sources added. They further said that she is unable to breathe on her own and on life support system, and her blood pressure is also fluctuating. The accident occurred when the rape survivor, her lawyer and her aunts were travelling from Fatehpur to Rae Bareli jail to meet her uncle who is lodged there. The truck was on its way to Lalganj, while the victim was travelling to Raebareli, according to India Today. A relative of the victim told The Indian Express, “MLA Sengar and his associates had planned the attack to threaten us so that we stop pursuing the case. Everyone in the village knew they were going to visit Raebareli jail.” Unnao SP MK Verma told _ANI_ that the security guards provided for the victim’s protection were not present with her at the time of accident, adding that an investigation is underway. Gurubaksganj Police Station house officer Rakesh Singh told The Indian Express that the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped. “Preliminary inquiry has revealed that the victims’ car was hit by an empty truck coming from the opposite direction. We have seized the truck and are now trying to trace its owner,” he said. The woman, who belongs to Makhi police station area in Unnao, had in 2017 alleged that Kuldeep Sengar, a four-time BJP MLA who represents Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, had raped her at his residence. The case was only reported in April 2018 after the victim attempted suicide outside Yogi Adityanath’s house, alleging that the police had not acted on her complaint for several months. Later Sengar was arrested. The victim’s father was allegedly beaten up by Sengar’s brother Atul Singh and four others on 3 April. The former later died in judicial custody after he was arrested in a case under the Arms Act. The Bangarmau MLA is presently lodged at Sitapur district jail. Amid intense political scrutiny of the accident and police on Monday registered a murder case against Sengar , his brother Manoj Singh Sengar and eight others in connection with the road accident. The state government has also asked for a CBI probe. With inputs from agencies