Unnao 'accident': UP minister's kin also named in FIR

BJP was left embarrassed again, after the name of a saffron leader, who was also a close relative of an Uttar Pradesh minister, found mentioned in the FIR registered by the CBI in connection with Sunday's alleged ''road accident'' in which two aunts of the Unnao rape victim were killed.

According to the sources, besides the BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Senger, who was the prime accused in the rape case, saffron party leader Arun Singh, who was a Block Chairman and the son-in-law of minister of state for agriculture education Ranvendra Singh alias Dhunni Singh, also found mention in the FIR along with eight others.

''Yes he (Arun) is my relative but that does not make him guilty.....the CBI is probing the case....I am certain of his innocence,'' the minister said in reply to queries here on Wednesday.

CBI sleuths on Wednesday visited the spot in Raebareli district, where the collision between the victim's vehicle and the truck had taken place on Sunday. Two persons were killed and the rape victim and two others were critically injured in the ''accident''.

The CBI registered an FIR in this connection on Wednesday. The accused were charged under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy).

Meanwhile Mahesh Singh, the uncle of the victim, who was lodged in jail and was granted a day's bail to perform the last rites of his wife, apprehended that his entire family would be ''killed'' by Senger. ''The lawmaker had threatened to kill all of us....he is doing that...I have already lost three members of my family.....one is battling for her life,'' Mahesh said.

A family member also revealed that over two dozen complaints were filed with the local police since the arrest of Senger for allegedly raping the Unnao teen last year. ''Police did not act on any complaint....the cops told us that they did not want to lose their jobs,'' he added.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav met the state governor Anandiben Patel and submitted a memorandum demanding a fair and fast probe into the matter. The SP also held a demonstration to protest the incident.

The Unnao rape case had hit the headlines last year after the victim accused Sengar of raping her and also torturing her family in a bid to stop her from approaching the police.