Unnao rape case: FIR registered against BJP MLA. Allahabad HC asks UP government: “Why has the MLA not been arrested yet?”
Lucknow, Apr 12 (PTI) The police today registered an FIR against Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in connection with the gangrape of a 17-year-old girl in Unnao district.
The MLA has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Superintendent of Police (SP), Unnao, Pushpanjali Devi said.
The FIR has been registered under sections 376 (rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage,), 363 (kidnapping) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at the Maksi police station, the officer said.
Police said the FIR against the MLA was registered early this morning.
Late last night the Yogi Adityanath government had decided to hand over to the CBI the probe into the Unnao rape case.
Facing heat and growing outrage over the alleged involvement of Sengar in the rape the government had also decided to register an FIR against the legislator and the other accused and hand over the investigation to the agency.
The government has also recommended a CBI probe into the death of the victim’s father allegedly in custody on Monday.
The decisions were taken after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted under additional director general of police (Lucknow zone), to look into the matter submitted its report to the government.
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s approach in handling the Unnao rape case, asking its counsel why the accused BJP MLA, Kuldeep Singh Sengar was not arrested even after an FIR.
A Bench of Chief Justice D B Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar asked the counsel to clarify whether or not the government would arrest the MLA, and sought a reply after lunch.
It may be noted that the case has been handed over to the CBI, while an SIT of Lucknow zone police is also investigating it.
Earlier, Allahabad HC earlier ordered that the body of victim’s father should not be cremeted, if it had not already been cremated. However, the body had already been cremated by then.
The Supreme Court has decided to hear next week a plea for a CBI probe. The plea also alleged that the woman’s father was tortured and killed in police custody.
The wife of the accused BJP MLA, Sangeeta Sengar, had yesterday demanded narco tests of her husband and the 17-year-old girl.
