‘After rape, he wiped my tears, promised job’

UNNAO GANG RAPE Survivor alleges her family is under ‘house arrest’, being denied food and water; administration denies charges

18-year-old woman, who has accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Bangarmau constituency Kuldeep Singh Sengar of raping her last year, said on Wednesday that she and her family have been put under house arrest in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district.

“I am seeking justice for the last one year; it is being denied to me, the BJP is saving the MLA. We are not allowed to move out, we are constantly guarded,” she said, adding, “we haven’t been given food or water. They want us to break down.” The administration denied the charges and claimed four rooms had been kept in a local hotel to ensure the safety of the woman and her family. Four inspectors and 12 police constables stood guard in the hotel hall. Six policewomen were on the floor where the woman was given a room. “Kuldeep Sengar raped me at his house, he promised me a job then and threatened to kill my family,” she told media. “He didn’t allow us to study, kept my family under his thumb.” An activist, Madhu Garg, who met the woman for an hour, said the survivor had told her that Sengar would lock female students of a school he owned, and sexually harass them. “This created fear among the girls. Many stopped going to school. Even this girl dropped out after Class 8,” Garg said.

“On June 4 (last year), when the girl was taken to the MLA with a job promise, he raped her. When she pleaded with the MLA to let her go, he wiped her tears and said that he would ensure her a job — if she stayed quiet and did not talk about the rape to anyone,” the activist added.

Garg said the four-time MLA’s influence ensured no one spoke against him. “No police (officer) would tolerate any complaint against Sengar,” said Garg, quoting her conversation with the complainant. The woman has now complained of fatigue and high levels of stress. Her relatives say she has fainted a number of times since Tuesday night.

The woman has alleged that Sengar and his aides raped her on June 4 last year. She has also said the police did not name Sengar in the official document that recorded her complaint.

On April 3 this year, her father was allegedly assaulted by the MLA’s brother, Atul Singh Sengar. She said that three people barged into her house, tied her father to a tree and thrashed him before handing him over to the police, which registered a case against him for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm.

The father died in judicial custody last Sunday. Chief medical officer of Unnao Dr SP Chaudhary has said that there were 14 injuries found on his body and that he died of shock and septicaemia caused due to perforation in the intestine. The state government has set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the charges, while six policemen have been suspended in this connection.