Unnao: Not behind accident, it is political conspiracy against me, says Kuldeep Sengar

Talking to media persons from the police van, Sengar wished speedy recovery of the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer while maintaining that he had full faith in the court, police and CBI. Sengar also said he was an honest party worker.

“Mujhe sab pe bharosa hai, nyayalay par, police par, CBI par media par bhi ki nyay hoga (I have trust on everyone, be it the court, police, CBI or even the media, justice will prevail),” ANI quoted Sengar as saying. When asked about allegations of him being involved in orchestrating the road accident of the victim and her family, Sengar said, “It is all a political conspiracy.”

Earlier in the day, the CBI  conducted searches at the former BJP MLA’s residence and 17 other premises in four districts of Uttar Pradesh- Lucknow, Banda, Unnao, Fatehpur. Sengar along with nine others and 15-20 unidentified persons were booked for murder by the CBI in the accident case.

#WATCH Unnao rape case accused Kuldeep Sengar: Main BJP ka karyakarta tha, aur mein jis dal mein rehta hoon bahut imandari se rehta hoon. Mujhe sab pe bharosa hai… sab rajneetik sazish hai. Meri bhagwan se kamna hai ki vo (Unnao rape survivor&her lawyer) thik ho jayen. pic.twitter.com/311AOtYdbf

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 4, 2019

On July 28, the Unnao woman, who has accused Sengar of sexual assault, was critically injured along with her lawyer after the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by a truck in Rae Bareli. Two of the victim’s aunt were killed in the incident.

Following the incident, Sengar, his younger brother Manoj Sengar and eight others were booked on charges of attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. The police also invoked criminal intimidation charges on allegations that the accused were threatening and harassing the rape victim’s family.

Raebareli: Police and people stand near the wreckage of the car in which the Unnao rape survivor was travelling during its collision with a truck near Raebareli. (PTI Photo)

On Saturday, a CBI team reached Sitapur jail after obtaining a court’s permission to question Sengar. The questioning was over allegations being levelled by the rape victim’s uncle in the FIR. The case is being investigated by CBI on a recommendation sent by the state government.

The CBI team has also taken three-day custody of truck driver Ashish Pal and cleaner Mohan, who are lodged in Rae Bareli district jail, for questioning in the case. The CBI team took the driver and cleaner to the accident spot and asked them to elaborate on how the incident occurred.

Last week, the Supreme Court transferred all cases related to the matter from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, while ordering interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the victim and CRPF security cover for her, the family and their lawyer. It asked the CBI to “expedite” the probe into the accident case and complete it “preferably” within seven days and not later than 14 days.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose transferred the cases to the court of Tis Hazari district judge Dharmesh Sharma. The bench directed that “the trial judge…will commence the trial forthwith on a day-to-day basis and will ensure completion of trial of all the five cases within 45 days from commencement of the trial”.