May family living in fear , says grandfather; alleges threats

His family was under threat and living in fear but determined to fight on, said the grieving grandfather of the woman who had accused a BSP MP of rape and died in Delhi days after she set herself on fire outside the Supreme Court.

Mourning the untimely death of his 24-year-old granddaughter, who breathed her last in a Delhi hospital on Tuesday, the elderly man alleged that BSP MP Atul Rai’s men had threatened to kill his family.

“Henchmen of the MP used to come to our place and threaten to kill us. We are living in fear,” he told reporters.

Rai has been in jail since 2019, when the rape allegations were first made. The woman and a friend had immolated themselves outside the apex court on August 16 when they were barred from entering the premises. The man, 27, suffered 65 % burns and died on Saturday. The woman had 85% burns.

“A lot of pressure was mounted on my granddaughter. She faced it all and continued her fight (against the MP). We are economically weak but we will continue the fight. We never thought that we would have to see such days,” her grandfather said.

The woman’s father had died following a cardiac arrest four years ago, he said.

“The MP fielded my granddaughter in student politics in Varanasi and later ruined her life. We will decide our future course of action when her mother and brother return from Delhi,” he said.

The woman’s grandparents live in a village here. Her body was handed over to her family after post mortem following which they cremated her at Nigambodh Ghat in the national capital, Delhi Police officials said.