LUCKNOW: One of the key witnesses of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing into the Unnao gang rape and murder case involving BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, died under mysterious circumstances.
The uncle of the gang rape survivor cried foul, alleging conspiracy behind the sudden death of the witness, Yunus. The witness, who had a grocery shop in the village from where the gang rape survivor belongs to, was buried reportedly without any autopsy.
According to highly-placed sources, Yunus was privy to the physical assault on the girl’s father by Sengar's brother Atul Singh Sengar and his four henchmen. Consequently, the man had succumbed to his internal injuries and wounds in police custody.
Villagers claimed Yunus suddenly fell ill on Saturday and passed away within an hour even before he could be taken to a hospital. They added that his family members buried him without informing the CBI and the local police.
While the Makhi police station SHO claimed that Yunus died of illness, the uncle of the gang rape survivor smelt a conspiracy behind the death of the witness. "In all probability, the jailed MLA might have got Yunus poisoned through his henchmen," he said, demanding that the CBI exhumed the body for autopsy so that the actual reason of the sudden death could be established.
"I have sought the permission of Yunus' family for post-mortem. He was absolutely fine a day before his death on August 18. Also, he was buried hurriedly. We have submitted an application to Unnao SP Harish Kumar and demanded an autopsy."
The CBI has been probing both the gang rape and the alleged custodial death in Unnao. BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, whom the girl had charged with her rape and the killing of her father, has been languishing in the jail since early April.
The girl's family alleged that BJP MLA's henchmen had been threatening witnesses and asking villagers to stay away from the CBI. Seeking an early disposal of the case, the family has alleged that the BJP MLA was using muscle power to silence the witnesses and to ensure that they all turned hostile during trial so that Sengar could emerge clean in the case.