Heat is on Unnao’s BJP MlA Kuldeep Singh Senger after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its report on Wednesday and an alleged recording of a phone conversation between the rape accused MlA and the uncle of the rape victim clearly pointed that Senger was a party to the entire sequence of event.
Amid an outcry over the rape case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to hear next week a plea for a CBI probe, even as the wife of the accused BJP MlA in UP demanded narco tests of her husband and the 18-year-old woman, who alleged confinement by local authorities.
The Congress used the case to hit out at the BJP Government with party president Rahul Gandhi wondering if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would observe a fast on the alleged rape and death of the complainant's father in custody, which he said "has shamed humanity".
Separately, the Allahabad High Court sought to know the Yogi Adityanath-led State Government's stand on the incident, while posting the matter for hearing on Thursday. Also, it ordered that the body of the victim's father should not be cremated, if already not done so.
"If the body has not been cremated, then it shall not be cremated," the court said.
However, the mortal remains of the deceased were consigned to the flames on Tuesday, hours after his custodial death. Earlier in the day, the accused MlA's wife Sangeeta Sengar met DGP, OP Singh in lucknow and presented several documents in support of her husband and tried to prove that the girl had made the charges on behest of some people.
However, she did not speak anything on the audio tape pointing to her husband's involvement, at least in the murder of the victim's father.
Besides the transcript of a conversation between the MlA and victim's uncle in a tape, a video of the rape survivor's father Pappu Singh charging the MlA's brother and his aides of attacking him with rifle butts just prior to his death, went viral on the social media and was aired by several TV channels. He also alleged that the local police remained spectators to the torture. Also, the video showed the deceased' back having serious wounds, but its veracity could not be ascertained.
"The victim's family will be provided security. They have a relative in Delhi, now it is their decision if they want to live in Unnao or in Delhi," SIT led by Rajeev Krishna told the media while replying to family members allegation that their lives were in danger.
The ADG said, "We have come here to investigate. I will send the interim report to the State Government. All angles are being investigated and there is no pressure on the SIT. It is working independently."
Meanwhile, the rape victim and her family appealed to Yogi for justice and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. "The DM has confined me to a hotel room. They are not even serving me water. I just want the culprits to be punished," she told reporters in Unnao on Wednesday.
The allegations were supported by the victim's sister, who claimed that they were earlier kept at the DM's residence and later taken to a local hotel. She said they perceived threat to their lives if they returned to their village.
The family also demanded that they be allowed to meet the CM so they could tell the facts. She said, "I want justice, why are they pressuring me for an apologyIJ Do they want my (another) uncle to be killed tooIJ"
Meanwhile, a woman Shashi Singh, earlier named by the victim has come out in support of the legislator. She claimed that nine months ago, the complainant accused her son of rape and sent him to jail.
"She often frames people leveling false allegations. Earlier it was my son, and now she is framing the MlA," said Shashi.
The accused MlA's brother Atul Singh Sengar and four others- Sonu, Baua, Vinit and Shailu- have been arrested in the case. The MlA's brother had allegedly assaulted Pappu after he was arrested under the Arms Act on April 3.