Unnao rape: Congress slams Yogi; Amnesty terms victim’s ordeal ‘chilling’

The Congress on Wednesday slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for "protecting" BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who along with accomplices is accused of gang raping a teenage girl in Unnao in June 2017.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: "The Unnao rape victim cried for justice and pleaded with Yogi Adityanath for eight-nine months. However, the Yogi government did not budge because the MLA was protected by him."

The Congress leader said the Bharatiya Janata Party government's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign should be renamed as "BJP se beti bachao" (Save girls from BJP).

On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Crime Branch arrested Sengar's brother Atul Singh Sengar on the charge of assaulting the 16-year-old girl's father last week after she had filed a rape complaint against the MLA.

The girl's father Surendra Singh died on Monday.

Amnesty terms UP rape victim's ordeal a 'chilling picture', seeks impartial probe

Human rights group Amnesty International India on Wednesday termed the Uttar Pradesh rape survivor’s ordeal and her fathers custodial death as "painting a chilling picture" and demanded an "immediate and impartial investigation" into the case.

Reacting to the death of the rape survivor's father in police custody on Monday, Amnesty International India's Programmes Director Asmita Basu said that the state police seemed to have "turned their backs on human rights".

"The reported failure of the Uttar Pradesh Police to register an FIR against the accused, the harassment faced by the survivor and her family, and the death of her father in custody paint a chilling picture.

"There must be an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into these violations, and authorities must take all steps to ensure that the survivor and her family are protected from any further harassment," she said.

Basu also urged the state government to respond to the notices issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the case.

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Unnao Rape Case: Father of complainant died of grievous organ injuries

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Unnao rape case: SIT probe only about custodial death, not gangrape