'Will we face same fate as Unnao rape survivor?' Girls pose tough questions to Uttar Pradesh cop at safety campaign in Barabanki

Barabanki: A senior Uttar Pradesh police officer faced uneasy moments when a girl, during a safety awareness campaign event, asked him if she would face the same fate as the Unnao rape survivor, whose vehicle was hit by a truck in which her two aunts died. Citing the Unnao rape survivor’s case as a glaring example of alleged administrative failure to deliver justice and protect the victim, the schoolgirl on Wednesday questioned a police official about how law enforcers would guarantee the safety of those who complain against “influential” persons who harass or commit a crime against them. Speaking at a Balika Suraksha Jaagruktaa Abhiyaan programme at a Barabanki school on Wednesday, Additional Superintendent of Police (North) RS Gautam said girls should remain alert, and if they feel anything wrong is being done to them, they should immediately call up the toll-free number. [caption id=“attachment_7092081” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Protesters demonstrate against the delay in justice in the Unnao rape case. PTI[/caption] At this, the student asked, “You say we should raise our voice and protest, I agree. But what we have seen in Unnao case is that a BJP leader has raped a girl and she met with an accident. The accident was not an accident, the number plate of the truck was blackened.”. The reference was to the case of the Unnao rape survivor against a BJP legislator. “We can easily protest against some layperson but how do we protest against influential political leaders?” she asked. The session caught on camera was widely shared on social media and showed the obvious discomfiture of the police officials. “What is the guarantee that if I protest against some influential political leader then I will be safe and nothing will happen to me?” she asked the official. Her schoolmates present in the hall responded to her pointed question with loud claps. “She is now battling for her life,” the student said. In response to her question, Additional Superintendent of Police RS Gautam responded: “The investigation is going on in the Unnao case and hence it is not proper to comment on the issue. It is not good to not to raise our voice fearing that we will not get justice. We should always seek legal course for getting justice.” He also said, “All complainants to toll-free number would be provided.” Another case of students asking uncomfortable questions occurred at a school in Varanasi, Hindustan Times reported, when “when the child rights authorities were encouraging children to reach out to cops in case of harassment, one of the students said, “If the tormentor is a cop, whom should we report to.”” On 28 July, a truck rammed into the vehicle in which the Unnao rape survivor, her counsel and two aunts were travelling into Raebareli. While she and her lawyer sustained grievous injuries, her aunts were killed on the spot. The Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer, who is being treated at King George’s Medical University are stable, the hospital said on Wednesday. The Uttar Pradesh Police filed a case of murder against BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and nine others in connection with the accident. Probe in the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday after which the CBI registered a case in connection with the rape survivor’s accident in Raebareli. With inputs from agencies