Unnao victim informed CJI about threat to life

Activists protest over the Unnao case in Delhi on Tuesday. Pic/PTI

New Delhi: Within a couple of days of the car crash in which the Unnao rape survivor was seriously injured and two of her aunts killed, a letter written to the Chief Justice of India by the victim's family has come to light, expressing threat and danger to their lives allegedly by the accused persons in the case.

An official of the Supreme Court said the letter written in Hindi has been received by the office of the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi who has asked the court's Secretary General to prepare a note out of it and place it before him. "The CJI has asked the Secretary General to go through the letter written in Hindi for preparing a note of it for his perusal," he told PTI. The letter dated July 12, written by the survivor and two of her family members, was also sent to the Allahabad High Court and other authorities of the Uttar Pradesh government.

On Sunday, the car in which the 19-year old rape survivor, her family and lawyer were travelling was hit by an over speeding truck in Rae Bareli, killing the two family members and leaving her and the advocate critically injured. Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a four-time BJP MLA from UP's Bangermau, is an accused in the rape case and was arrested last year in April. Uttar Pradesh BJP on Tuesday claimed that Sengar was suspended from the party in 2018.

The letter narrates the incidents of July 7-8 when some people allegedly associated with Sengar, the sitting BJP legislator, threatened the victim's family with dire consequences. It also sought a direction for registration of FIR against the persons who had intimidated them. An FIR, which was lodged a day after the car crash, names the BJP legislator, his brother Manoj Singh Sengar, Vinod Mishra, Haripal Singh, Naveen Singh, Komal Singh, Arun Singh, Gyandendra Singh, Rinku Singh and Awadhesh Singh as accused.

The rape case had come to light after the victim allegedly attempted self-immolation outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence. The letter signed by the girl, her mother and aunt stated that on July 7 Naveen Singh, son of an accused in the rape case Shashi Singh, Manoj Singh, brother of another accused Kuldeep Singh and one Kunnu Mishra had visited their house and threatened them. The next day, another person came to their house. The victim and the family said that along with the letter they were also annexing the video of the car in which these persons came to their house.

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