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Unnao rape survivor critical, 2 relatives dead in car crash; kin allege ‘conspiracy’ by BJP MLA

The Unnao rape case hit the headlines in 2017 after the then 16-year-old girl alleged that she was raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

Unnao rape survivor critical, 2 relatives dead in car crash; kin allege ‘conspiracy’ by BJP MLA

Kuldeep Singh Sengar (File Photo: IANS)

The woman from Unnao, who had accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of raping her in 2017, was severely injured while two of her aunts were killed after their car collided with a truck near Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Police said the car’s front portion was badly damaged due to the impact of the crash. There were four occupants in the car at the time of the accident – the rape survivor, her two aunts and her lawyer Mahendra Singh.

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The police are investigating the case while treating the incident as both an accident and a conspiracy to murder.

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UP DGP OP Singh said that primary investigations indicate that the incident was purely an accident due to an overspeeding truck.

The truck driver and the owner have been arrested and are being questioned.

Singh further said that if the family demands a CBI inquiry, then the case will be handed over to the agency. “We will conduct a fair and free probe.”

The police official further said that there was no negligence in the rape victim’s security. He said the woman had “requested” the security personnel, deputed for security, “not to accompany her” to Raebareli.

The truck that collided with the survivor’s car had a number plate which was blackened, seen as an attempt to conceal the registration number, adding much to the suspicions.

The police said that they are investigating if the numbers of driver, cleaner and owner of the truck match with the known numbers of Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his associates.

Meanwhile, mother of the rape survivor has claimed that BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was behind the incident.

“I have got to know that the lawmaker got it done. He is inside… he has a phone inside (the jail). He is doing everything sitting inside the jail. Sengar is in jail but his men aren’t. He and his men were threatening us… We want justice,” the teen’s mother was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The Unnao rape case hit the headlines in 2017 after the then 16-year-old girl alleged that she was raped by BJP MLA Sengar.

Sengar has been in jail since the past several months while the case is being probed by the CBI. Sengar’s brother has also been accused of beating up the victim’s father after tying him to a tree. Her father was then arrested and later died in police custody.

The victim’s uncle is also in jail in a separate case. The rape survivor and her family members were on their way to meet her uncle in jail when the collision occurred.

The case came to light after a year when the girl held a protest outside Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence demanding justice. She had also tried to immolate herself in front of Adityanath’s residence in Lucknow.

The case had led to protests across the country.

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi lashed out at the Yogi Adityanath government.

“So a woman is allegedly raped by a BJP MLA. Her father is beaten up and dies in custody. A key witness dies mysteriously last year. Now her aunt who was also a witness is killed and her lawyer is critically injured in an accident caused by a truck with blackened number plates,” she said in a tweet.

“She herself lies grievously wounded in hospital from the same accident. The accused continues as a BJP legislator, and the BJP State Government has the audacity to run a Fear-free campaign???” another read.

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and the Congress have sought the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident.

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