BJP’s Kuldeep Singh Sengar sent to 7-day CBI custody in Unnao rape case

BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar was sent to seven-day CBI custody on Saturday after he was arrested over allegations of raping a teenager in Unnao last year.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Sunil Kumar said starting Saturday evening, the police custody will continue till 10am on April 21. Also, Sengar’s judicial custody has been approved till April 28.

The police custody was approved under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on charges of raping the 17-year old girl.

Sengar is facing several charges under the Indian Penal Code, including sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping to compel a woman to marry), 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

His lawyer, Satyendra Singh did not oppose the CBI’s application, saying, “We are willing to cooperate with the CBI in the investigation.”

When Sengar arrived in court, he claimed he was innocent and that he had faith in the judiciary and God.

He was questioned for 15 hours following his detention on Friday. A senior CBI official said the MLA from Bangarmau in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district was taken from a house in Lucknow’s Indira Nagar area to the agency’s office in Hazratganj around 4 am on Saturday.

In a statement, the agency said it had lodged three separate FIRs in connection with the Unnao rape, and the death of the rape survivor’s 55-year-old father, allegedly after he was assaulted by the MLA’s brother.

“The first FIR is related to allegations of rape on the MLA and a woman, the second is of the June 2017 event in which the teenager’s family accused four people of kidnapping and raping her,” it said.

The third case is related to the alleged attack on the teenager’s father on April 3 by the MLA’s brother. The father died on April 9 during treatment while in judicial custody.

The CBI swung into action on Thursday after the state government recommended a federal probe. The court will monitor the investigation and asked the CBI to file a status report on May 2, the next date of hearing.

The Unnao case, and the rape and murder of an eight-year-old in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua have sparked massive outrage across the country, with people demanding justice for the victims and safety of women.

The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, held a candlelight vigil on Thursday night, demanding action from the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.