Father of allegedly raped UP woman dies in police custody

The father of a woman, who said that she had been allegedly raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his accomplices a year ago, died while he was allegedly in police custody. He was arrested on Sunday. The woman and her family attempted suicide outside residence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday.

The case has taken a new turn with the death of the father. A day after the woman and her family attempted suicide in Lucknow outside the residence of Yogi Adityanath, the father died in police custody on Monday. The woman had stated that her father was allegedly beaten up on April 3 after she had refused to withdraw the filed FIR.

The woman’s father, Pappu alias Surendra, was admitted to the Unnao District Hospital on Sunday night by the police after he complained of stomach ache and vomiting. “He passed away this morning,” said Dr Atul from the district hospital in Unnao. The man’s body has been sent for postmortem.

Accusing the Yogi government of a breakdown of law and order, former UP chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, tweeted that in some cases students were being shot and in others women were being raped, and yet no cases against the accused. “Instead of criminals, is it actually the women who are scared in Yogi’s encounter raj,” asked Yadav.

The woman had accused the Bangermau legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar of gang-raping her along with his accomplices. She also alleged that police have not been probing the case even after the FIR was filed a year ago. Upset over police inaction, the woman and her family attempted suicide outside the CM’s residence.

“Woman has alleged that Kuldeep Singh Sengar raped her and and had also beaten her up,” said Rajiv Krishnan, ADG Lucknow. Women alleged that she has not only met police officers but also government officials, but no one was listening to her plight and she was left with no other option.

New reports, on Sunday, stated that when the woman was stopped from immolating herself in front of the Adityanath’s house, she said if the BJP MLA, who had raped her, was not arrested, then she would commit suicide. The police then took her to the station.