A Class 11 student in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday asked the police if they can ensure justice if she raised he voice and protested, NDTV reported. The girl asked the police about the car crash involving a woman who had accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of rape in 2017.
The incident took place when the Uttar Pradesh Police delivered a lecture to the students about women’s safety. The police in the state are visiting various schools to mark police security week. Additional Superintendent of Police S Gautam had spoken about the right to raise one’s voice and protest when Muniba Kidwai of Anand Bhawan school stood up and questioned him.
“You said we should raise our voice and protest,” the girl is heard saying in a video. “We know a 18-year-old teen was raped by a BJP leader”. She said everyone knows that the car crash was not an accident. “The truck number plate was painted black...It is one thing to protest when an ordinary person is involved, but what when the person is someone powerful?” she asked the policemen. “We know no action will be taken if we protest and even if action is taken, it will be of no use. The girl is in a critical state in the hospital...If we protest, how will you ensure justice? How will you guarantee my safety? What’s the guarantee nothing will happen to me?”
In the minute-long video, other students in the hall are seen clapping and cheering Kidwai for asking the difficult questions.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday booked MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and 10 others on murder charges for the crash. It also took over the case from the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday and as per normal procedure filed the first information report again.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi asked Supreme Court authorities why he was not shown a letter sent to him by the complainant. The court will take up the letter on Thursday.
The 19-year-old complainant, who had accused the legislator of rape last year, and her lawyer are undergoing treatment at the trauma centre of King George’s Medical University in Lucknow. They are in serious condition, while two of the complainant’s aunts died in the same crash. The woman’s family has alleged that Sengar and his associates planned the car crash.
The MLA was arrested on April 13, 2018, after the girl accused him of raping her in June 2017, when she visited his home to ask for a job. The complainant accused the police of not taking any action when she approached them after the alleged incident.
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