Unnao case: CBI gets two more weeks to probe accident
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was granted two extra weeks by Supreme Court to complete the investigation into an accident which involved the Unnao rape survivor, her lawyer, and her relatives. The top investigative agency had sought four weeks saying it needed to record statements of the survivor and her lawyer, who were grievously injured. Both of them are recuperating in Delhi's AIIMS.
On July 28, the victim, who had accused Unnao MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of raping her in 2017, met with a deadly accident while she was on way to Rae Bareli jail to meet her uncle. Two of her aunts, one of whom was a key witness in the rape case, died. Her family accused Sengar, who was expelled from BJP, for engineering the accident.
The Maruti Swift Dzire, in which the survivor was traveling, was hit by an overspeeding truck, whose license plate was wiped out. After the crash created an uproar, SC stepped in and tasked CBI with its investigation. Notably, CBI is also probing the rape allegations. On Monday, the top court also directed the UP government to give Rs. 5 lakh compensation to the lawyer's family.
Under pressure after the top court's order, CBI assigned 20 additional officers to probe the accident, taking the strength of the entire team to 25. A team of six forensic experts also recreated the accident to understand the speed and angle at which the heavy vehicle hit the car. The CBI also raided as many as 17 locations as part of the probe.
Notably, the rape survivor had spoken about threats. She had written letters to senior officials in UP government and also one to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. "It was not an accident but a conspiracy to eliminate all of us... The son of a co-accused in the case and another youth of the village had threatened us," her mother had said earlier.
Apart from rape and "planning" the accident, Sengar has also been booked for the death of the survivor's father. To recall, her father was arrested after she attempted to self-immolate herself outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence last year. She was forced to take the extreme step as no one paid heed to her complaint against Sengar. Her father died in judicial custody.
