Action likely against 2 IPS, 1 IAS women officers for negligence

LUCKNOW The state government is mulling action against three women officers -- two IPS and one IAS -- after the CBI allegedly found negligence on their part in the case of rape of a minor and murder of her father in Unnao in 2017 and 2018, respectively, said a senior government official privy to the development.

Former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2019 by a Delhi court in the rape case, the official said.

Sengar, who was MLA from from Unnao’s Bangarmau assembly constituency, is presently serving his life sentence in jail.

The official said the CBI has recommended action, for negligence, against IPS officers Pushpanjali Devi and Neha Pandey, who were posted as superintendent of police (SP) in Unnao between June 2017 and April 2018, and IAS officer Aditi Singh, who was district magistrate of Unnao in the same period.

The official said the CBI has also recommended action against another IPS officer, Ashtabhuja Singh, who was additional SP in Unnao during the same period and was later promoted to IPS cadre in July 2019.

He said the CBI, which had submitted its recommendations to the state government in the second week of August, has found the officers’ negligence in initiating action and registering FIR against Sengar, despite repetitive complaints against him by the rape survivor’s father between June 2017 and April 2018.

The official said the girl’s father was later attacked by the former MLA’s aides on April 3, 2018 and sent to jail after framing him in a false case. The girl’s father succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the attack on April 9, 2018 as he was not provided proper treatment during the judicial custody.

The state government had initiated the action against Sengar and his aides when the matter was highlighted by the media after the self-immolation bid by the rape survivor and women members of her family near the chief minister’s residence in Lucknow on April 8, 2018, and the death of the girl’s father.

Sengar was, thereafter, arrested from Lucknow on April 14, 2018 after the state government handed over the case to CBI on April 12, 2018. The CBI charge-sheeted Sengar and his aides in two different cases -- of rape with the minor girl and murder of her father.

Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2019 by a Delhi court in the rape case.

FORMER BJP MLA KULDEEP SINGH SENGAR WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN DECEMBER 2019 BY A DELHI COURT IN THE RAPE CASE, THE OFFICIAL SAID