Unnao Rape Case: The CBI is investigating the crash in Raebareli.
Highlights
- The lawyer wrote the letter to the Unnao district magistrate on July 15
- Both the teen and her lawyer were critically injured in the car crash
- Two of the rape survivor's family members were killed in the accident
The Unnao rape survivor's lawyer had written to the Uttar Pradesh administration requesting a weapons license "urgently", in a letter dated July 15. "I fear that I may be killed," the lawyer said in his letter to the Unnao district magistrate.
A little over a week later, both the teen and her lawyer were left critically wounded in a car crash near Raebareli in which two relatives of the rape survivor were killed.
The CBI is investigating the crash, caused when a speeding truck with its number plate painted black rammed the car in which the rape survivor, her lawyer and two aunts were travelling.
In his letter in Hindi, the teen's lawyer said he had sought a license last year but had not been given one because of pressure from the Yogi Adityanath government.
The girl's family had also written to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that they were facing threats and intimidation by the accused, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, and his aides.
Kuldeep Sengar, a four-time lawmaker, has been accused of raping the teen when she went to his home in 2017 for a job. He was expelled by the BJP after the party faced intense criticism for not taking any action against the lawmaker for over a year.
Last year, the police registered a case after the girl went public and threatened to set herself on fire outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's home if her complaint was not noted.
For a year, there has been no progress on the trial. The ruling BJP, facing public criticism over its lawmaker, said last month that it had suspended Sengar.
The girl's family had alleged in its letter to the Chief Justice that they were under immense pressure to drop the case against the politician; they had also requested that the trial be moved out of Uttar Pradesh, which has been under BJP rule since 2017.
The Supreme Court today moved four cases related to the Unnao rape case out of UP to Delhi. The court also ordered the CBI to send responsible officers to report on the progress of the case.