Unnao Rape Case Survivor, Mother Manhandled by Paramilitary Personnel in Delhi

New Delhi/Unnao: The survivor of the 2017 Unnao rape case and her mother were allegedly manhandled by paramilitary personnel in Delhi on Wednesday. The incident occurred while they were protesting against the suspension of the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

The Delhi High Court has granted Sengar conditional bail pending his appeal. Reacting to the order, the survivor and her mother said they would jointly move the Supreme Court to challenge the relief granted to him.x

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suspended Sengar’s life imprisonment pending the disposal of his appeal against his 2019 conviction for raping the survivor, who was a minor at the time of the crime. The court imposed several conditions, including barring Sengar from entering within a five -kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence, prohibiting him from contacting or threatening the survivor or her family, restricting his movement to Delhi, directing him to report weekly to the police, and ordering the surrender of his passport.

Despite the bail, Sengar will remain behind bars as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in the custodial death case of the survivor’s father and has not been granted bail in that matter.

Reacting strongly to the High Court’s decision, the survivor told PTI that the order had deepened her fears, especially as security cover for her family members, lawyers and witnesses had already been withdrawn."If convicts get bail in cases like this, how will the country’s daughters remain safe? For us, this decision is no less than kaal (death),' she said, adding that "those with money win, and those without money lose.'

Late on Tuesday night, the survivor, her mother and activist- lawyer Yogita Bhayana staged a protest at India Gate, where they were detained by the police. On Wednesday morning, they planned to address the media at Mandi House, but the CRPF -escorted bus in which they were travelling did not stop there. Officials later said permission had not been granted for protests at Mandi House or India Gate and that the protesters were being taken either to Jantar Mantar or back to their Delhi residence.

Disturbing scenes followed as the survivor’s elderly mother was allegedly forced by CRPF personnel to get off a moving bus. Visuals showed officers elbowing her while asking her to jump down. There were no women CRPF personnel present in the bus at the time. After repeated pressure, the mother jumped off the moving bus, while the vehicle carrying the survivor drove away.

"We did not get justice. My daughter has been held captive. It seems they want to kill us,' the mother told the media, alleging intimidation and mistreatment by security personnel. She said they were on their way to protest peacefully at Mandi House when they were forcibly stopped.

The survivor later told NDTV that she was shocked by the events and questioned the justice system. "How can our judiciary do this to us?' she asked, adding that the timing of the relief to Sengar, ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh, raised serious concerns. She said an urgent hearing should be held in the Supreme Court.

A CRPF officer said the survivor was being taken back to her Delhi residence, where she has been living under security cover following years of threats and violence.

The Unnao rape case dates back to June 2017, when the survivor, then 17, accused Sengar of rape in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district. Sengar was later expelled from the BJP and convicted in 2019. He was also found guilty in the custodial death of the survivor’s father, who had initially been framed after the rape complaint was lodged. On the Supreme Court’s directions, the rape case and related matters were transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi in August 2019.

Reiterating their resolve, the survivor and her mother said they would jointly approach the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court’s order, asserting that their nearly nine -year -long fight for justice would continue.