LUCKNOW: Pushing for a CBI probe into the Rae Bareli accident which claimed two lives and left her daughter critically injured, the mother of the Unnao rape survivor charged that rape accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar had plotted the mishap to eliminate her family and the witnesses against him in the case.
“MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is behind this incident. He has been threatening us for all this while. Sengar is in jail but he has a mobile and is giving directions from there,” said the mother of the rape victim about the accident after a speeding truck hit the car in which the rape victim, accompanied by her lawyer and two aunts, was going to meet her uncle in Rae Bareli jail on Sunday.
The victim’s sister also claimed while talking to this correspondent that the MLA had been mounting pressure on the family to withdraw the rape case or else he would get them killed by his son. “We know it is the Vidhayak (MLA) who has conspired to kill my sister in a road accident,” she said.
The MLA’s aides used to often follow her sister and aunt wherever they went in connection with the case, claimed her sister. The victim’s sister added that the bodies of those killed in the mishap would not be cremated till her uncle was released on parole. Mahesh Singh, the girl’s uncle, has applied for a 72-hour parole to cremate the bodies. Of the two women dead in the mishap, one was his wife.
On the other hand, the lawmaker’s family rejected the allegations of the victim’s mother. Even the acquaintances of injured lawyer Mahendra Singh Chauhan voiced a similar sentiment but avoided a direct reply.
Sangeeta Sengar, Zila Panchayat chairperson and wife of rape accused BJP MLA’s brother Atul Sengar, rejected all the charges being levelled against the MLA by the victim’s family.
Ruling out her family members’ role in the accident, Sangeeta said her brother-in-law and husband were in jail and not capable of plotting such incidents.
“They are in jail despite being innocent. However, I am deeply pained by the tragedy that has befallen the family. Why will we do something of this sort? The truth shall prevail,” she said.
Earlier, the Rae Bareli police lodged an FIR against Kuldeep Sengar and his 20-25 aides on the charge of murder and conspiracy at Gurubaksh Ganj police station on Monday, said police sources.
The FIR against the BJP MLA and 10 other people mentioned by name, along with 15-20 unnamed people, has been registered on the basis of the complaint filed by Mahesh Singh who is serving a life term in Rae Bareli jail. Sengar has been in jail on rape charges for the last one and a half years.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government made it clear that it was ready for recommending a CBI probe into the road accident on receiving a request letter from the rape victim’s family.
The two aunts of the victim who died in the accident happened to be witnesses in the rape case against the BJP MLA, said police sources. The victim and her lawyer were brought to Lucknow Trauma Centre where both continued to be critical on Monday.
They met with the accident when their car was hit by an overspeeding truck while on their way to Rae Bareli on Sunday afternoon. They were going to meet Mahesh Singh, the rape victim’s uncle.
As per the doctors of King Georges’ Medical University, both the rape survivor and her lawyer had been on life support since Sunday evening. The girl has reportedly received maximum injuries on the right side of her body. As per Dr Saneep Tiwari, head, trauma surgery, while the girl has sustained fractures in right arm, leg, collar bone, rib cage and head, the lawyer has also sustained severe head injuries and multiple fractures as he was driving the car. Both the girl and the lawyer were unconscious but stable.
UP DGP OP Singh said that prima facie it seemed to be an accident as the truck was overspeeding and it was raining heavily. “However, if the girl’s family, including her mother and other relatives, make a request, the state government is ready to recommend a CBI probe into the Rae Bareli mishap,” said the DGP who visited the rape survivor at the trauma centre on Monday morning. He added that the police department has initiated a detailed impartial probe into the unfortunate incident to dig the truth out.
The DGP, however, ruled out any security lapse saying 10 police personnel were deputed for the security of the girl. “Three guards are in her personal security while the rest are deputed at her residence,” said the DGP, adding that while leaving for Rae Bareli to meet her uncle in district jail, the victim asked the guards to stay behind due to paucity of space in the car.
Additional Director General (ADG) Lucknow zone, Rajeev Krishna, said the owner, driver and cleaner of the truck involved in the Rae Bareli accident case were arrested on Monday.
Interacting with media persons, the ADG said the call details of the driver, cleaner and the truck owner were under investigation. A four-member forensic team, comprising Dr Narendra Kumar, Dr Ravi Kant Sharma and Dr Pratibha, had reached the spot of the incident for examination of both the vehicles.
According to the police report, the owner of the truck (number UP-71-AT-8300), Devendra Kishor Pal, and driver Ashish Pal belong to Lalauli of Fatehpur district while the cleaner Mohan Srivastava is from Banda.
As per the ADG, the driver told cops that he bought sand for Rs. 28,000 and loaded it in the truck in Banda and sold it in Rae Bareli for Rs. 37,000. The accident took place while he was returning to Fatehpur from Rae Bareli on Sunday. The car was coming from the opposite direction and due to heavy rainfall, the truck skidded and collided with the car.
Asked why the front number plate was covered, truck owner Devendra Pal said he was trying to escape the gaze of financiers as he was unable to pay instalments on time and they were troubling him. So he painted the front number plate with grease, he said.
Meanwhile, Lucknow District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma said the state government had decided to bear all the expenses of the treatment of the two injured, who are admitted in the KGMU trauma centre.