The citizens of the country woke up to heartbreaking news on December 7. The Unnao rape survivor who was stabbed, beaten, and set ablaze, breathed her last around midnight of the previous day.

With 86 rape cases having been reported in Unnao from January to November along with 185 cases of sexual harassment of women during the same time, the district now qualifies to be called as the “rape capital” of Uttar Pradesh.

Unnao is located about 63 km from Lucknow (capital) and around 25 km from Kanpur. The district has a population of about 31 lakh.

Unnao has been in the spotlight after a young woman had accused former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar of raping her in 2017, when she was 17 years old.

Cases have been filed in Asoha, Ajgain, Makhi and Bangarmau in Unnao for rape and molestation. In these cases, the perpetrators have been either arrested and later released on bail or are at large.

The local people blame the police for lack of stringent action.

A resident of Ajgain on the condition of anonymity told IANS that the police in Unnao have become politicised. “They do not move an inch unless they have the permission of their political bosses. This attitude is encouraging criminals,” he added.

Importantly, there are important politicians who come from this district. For instance, UP assembly speaker – Hriday Narain Dixit, UP Law minister Brijesh Pathak, and BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj belong to the same district.

“Crime is egged on by politics here. Politicians are using crime to settle political scores and the police remain their stooges”, a local lawyer was quoted by the news agency. The lawyer further said that there has not been one incident where the cops have acted tough.

Also Read: Unnao Rape Victim Passes Away, Day After Being Set On Fire By Her Alleged Rapists