Unnao rape case: Stern action to be taken against those guilty, says Irani

Amethi (UP): Union minister Smriti Irani today said stern action will be taken against those found guilty in the Unnao rape case. “I appeal to the people to have faith in the legal process…stern action will be taken as per the provisions of the Constitution against those responsible (for the incident),” she told reporters here.

“The CBI is investigating the matter…our government is with the victim’s family,” the Union Information and Broadcasting minister, who arrived here this morning on a two-day Amethi visit, said. Her remarks came hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe in three cases related to the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and detained the legislator for questioning.

The victim has alleged that on June 4, 2017, she was raped by the MLA of Bangarmau in Unnao district at his residence, when she had gone to meet him with a relative, seeking a job. In February, the girl’s family had moved the court, seeking to include the MLA’s name in the case.

After the filing of the case, the victim’s father was booked by the police under the Arms Act on April 3 and put in jail on April 5. Frustrated with the alleged police inaction on her complaint and coercion from influential people, the victim had attempted self-immolation in front of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath’s residence on April 8.

The next day, her father had died in jail with the post-mortem report suggesting serious injuries on his body, triggering a massive political row over women’s safety in Uttar Pradesh. The CBI sleuths swooped down at Sengar’s residence in Lucknow in the early hours today and took the four-time MLA to its office for questioning.