Kuldeep Singh Sengar is already serving life imprisonment for rape of the girl. (File Photo)

Expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and six other men, including his brother and two policemen, were sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday for the death of the Unnao rape victim’s father. The seven were convicted on March 4 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

District Judge Dharmesh Sharma, while pronouncing the order, said the accused did not deserve a lenient sentence given the facts and circumstances of the case. “There can be no denying the fact that rule of law was broken. Ashok Singh Bhadauria, KP Singh and Kuldeep Singh Sengar are public functionaries… they are supposed to observe the rule of law. The fact that he (father) was beaten up, paraded and ultimately died… this is not a fit case for leniency,” the court said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh each on Sengar and his brother Atul Singh.

After the order on sentence was pronounced, the Station Officer, Ashok pleaded for mercy in front of the judge. “What is my children’s fault. I was just doing my job. I have nothing to do with Sengar. This is like death. Please have mercy on me.”

To which the Judge replied, “It is difficult for us to make decisions. When you committed the crime you should have thought about your children and wife.”

While convicting the accused, the court said the sequence of events “establishes clearly, beyond reasonable doubt, that under the patronage of accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar, his foot soldiers — namely Vineet Mishra, Birender Singh and Shashi Pratap Singh (and probably with others who could not be identified) — assaulted the victim with leg and fist blows by intermittently hitting him… with the barrel of the rifle.”

The court had acquitted the other accused — constable Amir Khan, Shailendra Singh, Ram Sharan Singh and Sharadveer Singh — giving them the benefit of doubt.

Give me justice or hang me, Kuldeep Sengar tells court

Sengar on Thursday had told the court that he should be hanged and acid poured into his eyes if he has done anything wrong. “Please give me justice. Otherwise, hang me, burn my eyes with acid if I did something wrong,” he said, addressing District Judge Sharma.

The judge told Sengar, “It is not so simple. There are so many phone calls… After 6 pm the fight had taken place…the father was being beaten…What did you do? Was there no interference on your part?”