Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 24: Disturbing scenes were witnessed on the roads of the national capital after paramilitary personnel allegedly prevented the Unnao rape survivor and her mother from addressing the media and forced the elderly woman to jump off a moving bus.
The survivor and her mother have been protesting against the Delhi High Court’s decision granting relief to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who stands convicted of raping her. The High Court has suspended Sengar’s jail sentence till the disposal of his appeal, subject to several conditions.
On Tuesday night, the survivor, her mother and lawyer-activist Yogita Bhayana staged a protest at India Gate, following which they were detained. On Wednesday morning, the mother and daughter planned to speak to the media at Mandi House. However, the CRPF-escorted bus they were travelling in did not stop there.
A CRPF officer told NDTV that permission had not been granted to protest at Mandi House or India Gate and said the survivor and her mother would either be taken to Jantar Mantar or back to their residence. Shortly thereafter, visuals showed the survivor’s mother standing at the gate of the moving bus, with CRPF personnel allegedly elbowing her and asking her to jump off.
Shockingly, there were no women CRPF personnel present on the bus, despite it transporting the survivor and her mother. After repeated pushing, the elderly woman jumped off the moving vehicle, while the bus drove away with the survivor still inside.
“We did not get justice. My daughter has been held captive. It seems they want to kill us. CRPF men took the girl and dropped me on the road. We were going to Mandi House to protest,” the survivor’s mother told the media, breaking down.
The survivor was raped in June 2017 in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao when she was 17 years old. Former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was later named in the case and expelled from the party. In 2019, he was convicted of raping a minor and was also found guilty in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father, who was initially framed in the rape case.
Reacting to the court’s decision, the survivor questioned the judiciary. “How can our judiciary do this to us?” she told NDTV, adding that the relief to Sengar comes ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections. She said she would challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court and seek an emergency hearing, alleging that Sengar’s money and power continue to put her family at risk.
A CRPF officer said the survivor was being taken back to her Delhi residence, where she has been living under CRPF protection following a series of threats and tragedies over the past eight years.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar’s life imprisonment and granted him conditional bail pending his appeal against the 2019 conviction. The court observed that under the pre-2019 provisions of the POCSO Act, an MLA does not qualify as a “public servant” or a person in a “position of trust”, reducing the minimum applicable sentence to seven years, which Sengar has already served.
The conditions imposed include a Rs 15 lakh personal bond, restriction to Delhi, a ban on entering within 5 km of the survivor’s residence, no contact or threats to the family, surrender of passport and weekly reporting to the police. Sengar, however, will remain in jail as he is serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death case.
On December 23, the survivor, her mother and Yogita Bhayana had protested at India Gate, expressing fear for their safety and vowing to continue their fight for justice. “We will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. We have been fighting for justice for nine years, and I lost my husband in the process. Police intimidate us and manhandle us. My family is not safe,” the survivor’s mother said.