UNNAO/LUCKNOW — Swinging into action amid strident demands from Opposition for an inquiry into the road accident in which the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer received grievous injuries, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday named the accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar among ten people in the FIR in the case, charging them with murder.
A car in which the 19-year old woman, her family and lawyer were travelling was hit by an overspeeding truck in Rae Bareli on Sunday, killing two members and leaving her and the advocate critically injured.
Sengar, a four-time MLA who represents Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, is an accused in the rape case and was arrested on 13 April last year.
The incident found its echo in Parliament with SP member Ram Gopal Yadav on Monday alleging an attempt was made to “kill” the rape survivor, leading to brief adjournment of Rajya Sabha.
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Yadav said the security personnel provided to her was not with the survivor at the time of the accident and registration plate of the truck involved was covered with grease.
“FIR has been registered under the Indian Penal Code’s sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 120b (criminal conspiracy) against 10 named persons, including the BJP MLA, and 15-20 others,” a police officer said.
It was registered at the Gurbuxganj police station in Raebareli, police said.
The case was registered on a complaint from the rape survivor’s uncle Mahesh Singh, who is lodged in the Raebareli jail, police said.
He alleged that the MLA got the car hit on Sunday. “I am sure that the car was hit for killing all of them by the BJP MLA and his men,” Singh said in his complaint.
The mother of the survivor, speaking to reporters in Unnao had alleged: “It was not an accident but a conspiracy to eliminate all of us.
The Uttar Pradesh government is ready for a CBI probe into the accident involving the Unnao rape survivor, if a request is made, Director General of Police OP Singh said.
“The truck was over-speeding and it was raining also. Prima facie, appears to be an accident, but a detailed unbiased probe is on in the matter,” Singh told reporters in Lucknow.
“The state government is ready for recommending a CBI probe into the Sunday’s mishap in Rae Bareli if the victim’s mother or any relative makes any request in this regard,” Singh said.
Tagging a media report on the accident, Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi tweeted:” “Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao. A new special education bulletin for Indian women. Don’t ask questions if a BJP MLA is accused of having raped you.”
While, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the incident as shocking, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav sought a CBI probe.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission For Women chief Swati Maliwal met the Unnao rape survivor at a Lucknow hospital and said she should be airlifted to Delhi for better treatment as she is “critical”.
in a tweet, BSP supremo Mayawati said: “Her (the rape survivor’s) maternal and paternal aunts were killed and she herself and her advocate are seriously injured. The Supreme Court need to take cognizance of the matter and ensure strict action.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form a high-level inquiry committee to probe the survivor’s accident, while her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal described it as a “pre-planned conspiracy” and that the incident is a “mockery of the law”.
Unnao Superintendent of Police MP Verma said that one gunner and two women constables have been assigned round-the-clock duty for the safety of the survivor and her family, but they were not present at the time of the accident.
“An inquiry has been ordered to look into the reasons as to why the security personnel were not present with her and action will be taken after getting a report,” Verma said.
A police team that rushed to the spot in Rae Bareli after the accident found that the truck’s registration plate scrubbed and painted black, but they could retrieve the registration number, a police official said.
The truck has a Fatehpur district registration plate, Lucknow Zone ADG Rajeev Krishna said. When asked if the registration plate was tampered with, Krishna said it will be sent for forensic checks to ascertain the facts.
Teams from Lucknow have reached Rae Bareli for investigation.