The Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer were critically injured, and her aunt and another woman were killed, when the car they were travelling in was hit by a truck in Gurubakshganj area of Rae Bareli on July 28. 

The victims were on their way to Rae Bareli district jail to meet the rape survivor’s uncle, who is in jail in another case. The two women who died were the survivor’s aunts, as confirmed by Additional Director General of Police, Lucknow zone, Rajeev Krishna.

The incident fueled suspicion as the number plate of the truck was smeared with black paint. 

Preliminary Probe Says It’s An “Accident”

The 19-year-old survivor and the lawyer are undergoing treatment at the trauma centre of King George’s Medical University in Lucknow. Their condition is critical.

The survivor’s family accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was charged with the rape, of premediating the accident. He is lodged in Sitapur district jail.

“MLA Kuldeep Singh and his associates planned the attack to threaten us so that we stop pursuing the case. Everyone in the village knew they were going to Rae Bareli jail,” the survivor’s cousin said.

The injured were rushed to the district hospital Gurubakshganj Station House Officer Rakesh Singh said his team, where one of the aunts succumbed to her injuries. The other three injured were referred to Lucknow hospital, where the other woman died.

The truck has been seized and the driver, identified as Ashish, has been arrested and is being interrogated. According to Ashish, when the accident occurred, he was on his way to Lalganj to load bricks.

UP DGP OP Singh claimed that the survivor herself requested that the security person does not accompany her.  “There was no negligence in her security. Due to lack of space in her vehicle, she requested the security personnel deputed for security not to accompany her to Raebareli yesterday,” ANI quoted him as saying.

He said that the primary probe suggests that it was an accident due to over-speeding, despite the number plate of the truck being covered with black paint. 

“If the family demands a CBI inquiry into the case, we’ll hand over the case to CBI,” he added.

The survivor’s 47-year-old uncle was awarded 10 years imprisonment by a local court in Unnao in an attempted murder case filed in 2000.

Earlier Events

The minor girl in Unnao district was allegedly raped in June 2017 by BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar, his brother and others. Between June- April 2018 the family struggled to register an FIR. They alleged that the police refused to file an FIR, so they went to the court

On April 3, 2018, the girl’s father was beaten up by the MLA’s family and later jailed on a complaint by them.

Alleging that the CM was shielding the minister, the survivor attempted suicide outside Yogi Adityanath’s home on April 8, 2018.

The jailed father suddenly died in a hospital on April 9, 2018, where he had been brought the previous night after vomiting and abdominal pain. The post-mortem report, however, showed 14 injuries on his body.

Six policemen, including the area’s police station officer, inspector and four constables were suspended. Four men accused of assaulting the father, all associates of MLA Kuldeep Sengar, were arrested. 

The case was handed over to the CBI on April 12, 2018, and Kuldeep Sengar was charged with rape.

Last year, Yunus, a key witnesses in the custodial death of the survivor’s father, died on August 18 and was reportedly buried without undergoing an autopsy. The horrifying developments of the case, including the shocking wiping-out of those involved in the case and the recent suspicious “accident”, have led to a huge public outcry. 

Also Read: Unnao Rape Case: Key Witness Dies & Buried Without Autopsy, Family Of Victim Allege Foul Play