Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hinted at a “conspiracy” behind the death of a witness in a rape case in which a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh is the main accused. Gandhi asked, “Mr 56 [Prime Minister Narendra Modi]” if the “mysterious death [of the witness] and hurried burial without an autopsy” was his idea of justice for women.
Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a BJP legislator from Bangermau in Unnao district, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on April 11 days after the teenager who accused him of raping her in June 2017 tried to commit suicide outside Chief Minister Adityanath’s house. A day after her attempted suicide, her father died in judicial custody after he was allegedly assaulted by the MLA’s brother. Sengar faces an additional charge of criminal conspiracy for allegedly framing the girl’s father in an Arms Act case, for which he was in judicial custody.
Yunus Khan, who died on August 19, was a witness in the assault case related to the death of the girl’s father. The girl’s family has demanded that his body be exhumed and an autopsy done.
“Yunus Khan, whom the CBI had made a witness in my brother’s murder case, died under mysterious circumstances on Sunday,” the girl’s uncle told reporters on Wednesday, reported The Telegraph. “I am sure Kuldeep is behind his death. I have written to the CBI, the district magistrate and the superintendent of police of Unnao to exhume Khan’s body for a post-mortem.”
The CBI said the safety and security of witnesses is a responsibility of the state police, PTI reported. The police have claimed that Khan had liver ailments for some time.
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