BJP MLA Surendra Singh
The National Commission for Women on Thursday issued a notice to BJP MLA Surendra Singh who came in defence of his colleague Kuldeep Singh Sengar who is accused of allegedly raping a minor girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district. “I am speaking from psychological point of view, no one can rape a mother of 3 children. It is not possible, this is a conspiracy against him(Kuldeep Sengar). Yes, maybe her father was thrashed by some people but I refuse to believe rape charge,” Surendra Singh, who is BJP MLA from Bairia, was quoted as saying by ANI on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, UP Police chief also drew sharp criticism after he referred to Sengar as ‘mananiya vidhayak ji‘ during a press conference on Thursday. In defence, Singh said that the Sengar is an MLA and not a convict. “The respect that is being given to the accused is because he is an MLA… he is not a convict so far. Only a charge has been levelled against him and the case is being handed over to the CBI for investigation. The CBI will now decide whether he has to be arrested or not on the merit of the case,” he said.
The Yogi Adityanath-led state government is drawing flak after the 17-year-old girl alleged that she was raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and the subsequent death of the victim’s father in police custody. The Allahabad High Court also came down heavily on the government asking whether it proposes to arrest the accused in the case.
The case has been handed over to the CBI after a Special Investigation Team submitted a video that purportedly shows the girl’s father saying he was assaulted by Sengar’s brother Atul in the presence of police. The accused has been booked under sections 376 (rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage,), 363 (kidnapping) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The victim, who has been put up at a government guest house, said the family won’t return to Makhi village until the situation was normalised. “I appeal to CM Yogi Adityanath to provide me justice. The DM has confined me to a hotel room, they are not even serving me water. I just want the culprit to be punished,” ANI quoted her as saying.