The Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered the arrest of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, Kuldeep Singh Sengar in connection with the alleged rape of an 18-year-old girl in Unnao.
The High Court, which had reserved its verdict on Thursday, further ordered that the status report in the case be presented on 2 May.
On Thursday, the court had pulled up the UP government over the delay in the arrest of the MLA.
The court was reportedly informed that an application containing rape allegations against the BJP MLA was sent to the CM’s office 17 August 2017. The application was subsequently forwarded to officials in Unnao for appropriate action.
The court was told that three people, including the brother of the MLA, had been arrested.
Taking a grim view of the police action on the complaint, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar had reportedly told the government that under the prevailing circumstances it will be “forced to observe in our order that law and order has collapsed in the state”.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained Sengar for further questioning early in the morning on Friday. Sleuths descended on MLA’s home as early as 4.15 am and took him to the probe agency’s office in Hazratganj area in Lucknow.
While the MLA was being grilled in Lucknow, another CBI team reached Unnao where it quizzed the rape victim’s family members at a local hotel where they have been staying since the last few days.
CBI officials also went to the district hospital and the Makhi police station. Later, six police personnel who had been suspended for dereliction of duty were taken into custody by the investigating agency for further questioning.
The strongman from Bangarmau, an assembly seat he won in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections, has been accused by the girl of raping her in June 2017.
Though Sengar has been claiming innocence, the state government came under fire for not acting against the politician in spite of repeated accusations.
An FIR was registered against Sengar in Makhi police station on Thursday. He was charged under sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (abduction of woman), 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The FIR was filed only after the orders came from the Yogi Adityanath government. The state government also ordered the handing over of the twin cases of rape and the custodial death of the victim’s father to the CBI.
The elite probe agency has filed three separate cases into the alleged rape and incidents following it.
Reacting to allegations that the MLA is being defended, UP DGP OP Singh said, “Nobody is defending honourable MLA. All we are saying is that we have to hear both sides.”