The Uttar Pradesh Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested the brother of a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA accused of raping a teenager in Unnao. Lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s brother Atul Singh Sengar was arrested for allegedly assaulting the 16-year-old’s father last week after she filed a rape complaint against the MLA, NDTV reported. The girl’s father Surendra Singh died on Monday while in judicial custody.
The state government has also constituted a special investigation team to probe the rape case, PTI reported. “The SIT [special investigation team] will go into the entire gamut of issues involved in the incident,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said.
Atul Singh Sengar and his accomplices allegedly beat up Singh after his daughter accused his brother of rape. Instead of being admitted to a hospital, the police arrested Singh on a complaint filed by Atul Singh Sengar.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has sought reports from the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and the director general of police on the father’s death. “The allegations, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim’s family,” the commission said. It has asked the chief secretary to ensure that the family is “not subjected to further harassment” and sought an explanation from the director general of police on why it was not informed in 24 hours about the death in judicial custody. They have four weeks to file the reports.
The police on Monday ordered a magisterial inquiry into Singh’s death. Unnao Superintendent of Police Pushpanjali Devi said two police officers and four constables had been suspended, and four people accused of beating up the father had been arrested.
The teenager has alleged that Bangermau MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his accomplices had raped her in 2017 and beat up her family when they tried to file a complaint. On Sunday, she and her family had attempted to commit suicide outside Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath’s house in Lucknow. Alleging that no action had been taken even after she had approached the chief minister, she had poured oil on herself and tried set herself on fire before the police stopped her.
The legislator has denied the allegations. On Monday, he claimed he did not know about the father’s death. He told reporters that the allegations were a conspiracy against him by “low-class” people.
Chief Minister Adityanath summoned the MLA on Monday and said, “Those at fault, whoever they might be, will not be spared.”
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