Woman who accused Indian politician of rape hit by truck along with lawyer and aunts after father dies of injuries in police station

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A teenager who accused a prominent local politician of rape in India has been involved in a fatal car crash, with the family and prominent opposition leaders calling foul play.

The 19-year-old alleged rape victim was travelling with her lawyer and two female relatives when their car was rammed by a truck in a head-on collision.

The two female relatives, one of whom was also a witness in a related case, died in the crash, while the alleged rape victim and her lawyer are in critical condition in hospital.

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The woman, from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh state, says she was raped in 2017 by Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a member of the state’s legislative assembly for Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP party.

The case came to prominence in April 2018 when the woman attempted to set herself on fire outside the residence of Yogi Adityanath, the BJP chief minister of the state, accusing police of failing to act. A day later, her father – who had brought the case to police on her behalf – died in hospital after he was beaten, allegedly by a group of men including Mr Sengar’s brother.

Shape Created with Sketch. Indian General Election 2019 Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Indian General Election 2019 1/10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah (R) welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) at BJP headquarters prior to a ceremony to thank the Union council of Ministers for their contribution in India's general election, in New Delhi on May 21, 2019 AFP/Getty 2/10 An Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter shouts slogans and holds the party flag as he celebrates on the vote results day for India's general election in New Delhi on May 23, 2019. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party. AFP/Getty Images 3/10 Indian election officials count votes using electronic voting machines at a counting center for the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) election, in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, India, 23 May 2019. The parliamentary elections, which began on 11 April 2019, were held in seven phases throughout India and are currently being tabulated. The Lok Sabha elections were held for 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. EPA 4/10 Indian supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance as they celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Siliguri on May 23, 2019. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party. AFP/Getty Images 5/10 Indian supporters and party workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance as they celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Bangalore on May 23, 2019. - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in the world's biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win a bigger majority even than 2014. AFP/Getty Images 6/10 Indian supporters and party workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance and hold flags as they celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Bangalore on May 23, 2019. - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in the world's biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win a bigger majority even than 2014. AFP/Getty Images 7/10 An Indian member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) shouts slogans and shows portraits of party president M.K. Stalin as she celebrates on the vote results day for India's general election in Chennai on May 23, 2019. - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in the world's biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win a bigger majority even than 2014. AFP/Getty Images 8/10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters, wearing masks dipicting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, celebrate BJP's potential win in the the Lok Sabha election the Lok Sabha elections, in Amritsar, India, 23 May 2019. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, elections, which began on 11 April 2019, is having the results tallied today. The Lok Sabha elections were held for 542 of the 543 lower house seats, and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. According to initial polling Narendra Modi could retain the position of Prime Minister along with the Bhartya Janta Party. EPA 9/10 A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter wears a mask dipicting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he celebrates BJP's potential win in the the Lok Sabha election the Lok Sabha elections, in Amritsar, India, 23 May 2019. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, elections, which began on 11 April 2019, is having the results tallied today. The Lok Sabha elections were held for 542 of the 543 lower house seats, and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. According to initial polling Narendra Modi could retain the position of Prime Minister along with the Bhartya Janta Party EPA 10/10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate in their party's Assam state office in Gauhati, India, Thursday, May 23, 2019. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party have a commanding lead in early vote counting from the country's six-week general election. AP 1/10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah (R) welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) at BJP headquarters prior to a ceremony to thank the Union council of Ministers for their contribution in India's general election, in New Delhi on May 21, 2019 AFP/Getty 2/10 An Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter shouts slogans and holds the party flag as he celebrates on the vote results day for India's general election in New Delhi on May 23, 2019. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party. AFP/Getty Images 3/10 Indian election officials count votes using electronic voting machines at a counting center for the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) election, in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, India, 23 May 2019. The parliamentary elections, which began on 11 April 2019, were held in seven phases throughout India and are currently being tabulated. The Lok Sabha elections were held for 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. EPA 4/10 Indian supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance as they celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Siliguri on May 23, 2019. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party. AFP/Getty Images 5/10 Indian supporters and party workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance as they celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Bangalore on May 23, 2019. - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in the world's biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win a bigger majority even than 2014. AFP/Getty Images 6/10 Indian supporters and party workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance and hold flags as they celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Bangalore on May 23, 2019. - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in the world's biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win a bigger majority even than 2014. AFP/Getty Images 7/10 An Indian member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) shouts slogans and shows portraits of party president M.K. Stalin as she celebrates on the vote results day for India's general election in Chennai on May 23, 2019. - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course on May 23 for a major victory in the world's biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win a bigger majority even than 2014. AFP/Getty Images 8/10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters, wearing masks dipicting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, celebrate BJP's potential win in the the Lok Sabha election the Lok Sabha elections, in Amritsar, India, 23 May 2019. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, elections, which began on 11 April 2019, is having the results tallied today. The Lok Sabha elections were held for 542 of the 543 lower house seats, and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. According to initial polling Narendra Modi could retain the position of Prime Minister along with the Bhartya Janta Party. EPA 9/10 A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter wears a mask dipicting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he celebrates BJP's potential win in the the Lok Sabha election the Lok Sabha elections, in Amritsar, India, 23 May 2019. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, elections, which began on 11 April 2019, is having the results tallied today. The Lok Sabha elections were held for 542 of the 543 lower house seats, and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. According to initial polling Narendra Modi could retain the position of Prime Minister along with the Bhartya Janta Party EPA 10/10 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate in their party's Assam state office in Gauhati, India, Thursday, May 23, 2019. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party have a commanding lead in early vote counting from the country's six-week general election. AP

The woman’s family said they believed Mr Sengar, who is in prison awaiting trial for the rape charge, was behind Sunday afternoon’s crash.

“I have got to know that [Mr Sengar] got it done,” her mother told reporters, according to NDTV. “[He] is in jail but his men aren’t. He and his men were threatening us ... We want justice.”

A cousin in Unnao said that “everyone in the village knew” the woman and her lawyer would be travelling that day to Rae Bareli prison to visit her uncle, who was jailed shortly after the rape allegations came to light and convicted of an unrelated attempted murder charge.

“MLA Kuldeep Singh and his associates planned the attack to threaten us so that we stop pursuing the case,” the cousin said.

Swati Maliwal, chair of the Delhi Commission for Women, met the alleged victim and her lawyer in hospital in Lucknow, the state capital, and said they were both in life-threatening condition. She shared an open letter to Mr Adityanath, the chief minister, saying she was “deeply disturbed” by the case.

Officially, local police are treating the crash as an accident. OP Singh, director general of police in the state, said a “fair and free probe” would be conducted but that “primary probe suggests it was purely an accident due to an over-speeding truck”. The driver and truck owner had been arrested and were being questioned, he said.

Singh said police would “hand over the case to CBI” (India’s Central Bureau of Investigations) if the family demanded.

It would not be the first time the body, India’s equivalent of the US’s FBI, has had to step in in the Unnao case.

After a public uproar, the CBI was ordered to carry out an extensive investigation and filed three charge sheets last year; against Mr Sengar for the alleged rape, Mr Sengar’s brother and associates for the alleged murder of the woman’s father, and Mr Sengar and others for framing the father on trumped-up charges.

Back in April, after an eyewitness to her father’s beating died in mysterious circumstances, the alleged rape victim told the Times of India she and her family lived in fear for their lives.

“I have told the CBI that I don’t feel safe. I fear for my life – being abducted or killed,” she said.

The woman was living in hiding and had been given round-the-clock police protection. On Sunday afternoon, however, she was travelling without an escort. Mr Singh, the police chief, told ANI this was due to “lack of space in her vehicle” and at the woman’s own request.

Priyanka Gandhi, general secretary of the main opposition Congress party, said Sunday’s crash was “shocking” and that serious questions remained about the case, including why the BJP had failed to expel or even suspend Mr Sengar. “Without answers to these questions, can we expect justice from the BJP government?” she asked.

Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress president, said the case sent the message to Indian women – “don’t ask questions if a BJP MLA is accused of having raped you”.

Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the AAP party, wrote on Twitter: “Systematic attempts to eliminate the Unnao rape victim and her family appear to be a pre-planned conspiracy and a mockery of rule of law. How can any civilised society allow such state sponsored barbarism?”

And Akhilesh Yadav, leader of Uttar Pradesh’s main opposition Samajwadi Party, told the Hindustan Times the crash “could be a murder attempt”.

Mr Sengar, who denies all the allegations against him, continued to appear on party banners and paraphernalia in the campaign leading up to May’s general election, which the BJP won by a landslide. Mr Adityanath shared a stage with Mr Sengar’s wife during an election rally in Unnao in April, according to reports. A spokesperson for the BJP was not immediately available to comment.

eldarandia on July 29th, 2019 at 19:40 UTC »

Timeline of the case, copied from a thread on /r/india

Source:https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/cjaos8/recent_rape_case_involving_mla_of_unnao/

The politician in question was arrested but was visited by the local MP. We can only guess as to why.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/unnao-rape-survivor-accident-fir-registered-against-bjp-mla-kuldeep-singh-sengar-9-others-1574857-2019-07-29

India - Story of A Rape

June 2017: A 17 year old Minor girl in Unnao district alleges rape by a BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar.

June 2017 - April 2018: Girl's family complains. Police refuse to even file an FIR. Family goes to court. Persists with the case for a long time.

April 3, 2018: Girls father badly beaten up by MLA’s henchmen.

April 3, 2018: Police arrests father while ignoring the girl’s complaint.

April 8, 2018: Girl attempts suicide outside home of UP CM Yogi accusing him of protecting the MLA.

April 9, 2018: Girl's father dies after police torture.

April 10, 2018: Police arrest four men accused of assaulting the girl's father, all associates of rapist MLA.

April 10, 2018: Post-mortem report shows 14 injuries on girl's father's body in the Unnao case.

April 11, 2018: Case handed over to CBI.

April 12, 2018: BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Sengar charged with minor's rape.

April 13, 2018: Allahabad GC orders arrest of the MLA.

11 July 2018: CBI files first chargesgeet naming the MLA as an accused.

13 July 2018: A 2nd Chargesgeet filed naming MLA and his brother, three policemen and five other people for allegedly framing the Unnao rape survivor’s father.

18 August, 2018: Younus, A key witness to the assault dies suddenly. Uncle alleges that Younus is poisoned to death. Buried with no Autopsy.

21st November 2018: The uncle of the victim wasarrested in an 18 year old gun-firing case.

26 December 2018: FIR against the rape victim, her mother and uncle owing to discrepancies in the date of birth of the rape victim.

28th July 2019: Victim is travelling in a car to visit the uncle lodged in Rae Bareily Jail.

A truck hits the car. Coincidentalky, Security officer of girl not in the car. Coincidentally, The number plate of truck is smeared in black paint. Two aunt's die, Rape Victim fighting to survive. Lawyer critical. Police say accident did not appear like a “case of conspiracy or intent to murder”. Justice system in ICU.

So, Father beaten to death. Uncle arrested. Mom dead. Aunt's dead. Witness dead. Victim critical. Lawyer critical. MLA safe under police security

Want to complain against Rape?

Beti Bachao?

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/unnao-rape-survivor-accident-fir-registered-against-bjp-mla-kuldeep-singh-sengar-9-others-1574857-2019-07-29

arnaoutelhs on July 29th, 2019 at 19:12 UTC »

from another thread:

Father beaten to death. Uncle arrested. Mom dead. Aunt's dead. Witness dead. Victim critical. Lawyer critical

https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/cjaos8/recent_rape_case_involving_mla_of_unnao/

Tundra_Inhabitant on July 29th, 2019 at 19:09 UTC »

Its crazy because this has been a vital plot point in most bollywood movies from the 80's and 90's. Powerful politicans and businessmen getting enemies killed on their way to court by a rogue truck.

Its ridiculous just how little shits this person is giving about trying to be discreet at this point.