Rape victim's kin awaits justice in case against Sengar

The family of the Unnao rape victim hopes to get justice as it waits for the verdict in the rape case against expelled BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar by a Delhi court.

The judgement in the case, that had triggered nationwide outrage, was likely to be pronounced on Monday, around 20 months after Sengar was arrested by the CBI on charges of raping a minor.

"We hope to get justice... we have full faith in the judiciary," said a member of the victim's family in Unnao, about 80 kms from here.

The family members and supporters of the BJP lawmaker were, however, also confident that he would be "acquitted".

The case witnessed a lot of twists and turns during the past 20 months. Sengar was also accused of trying to get the victim killed in a road accident a few months back. In August this year, the victim sustained serious injuries while two members of her family were killed, when a truck rammed into their vehicle in Raebareli district.

The minor victim had accused Sengar and his supporters of gang-raping her June 2017. She went missing after levelling the allegation and was traced nine days later.

In an apparent bid to prevent the victim from pursuing the case, the local cops, under the pressure of the lawmaker, arrested her father on alleged trumped charges and tortured him inside the police station. He died at the jail hospital later.

The victim tried to commit self-immolation in front of the UP chief minister's official residence here in April 2018.

The case was later handed over to the CBI, which arrested Senger and his brother in connection with the rape charges. The lawmaker was later shifted to Delhi's Tihar jail from Sitapur district jail in the state.