NEW DELHI: The survivor of the 2017 Unnao rape case on Saturday pleaded for support alleging that the daughters of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar and their supporters are “exposing” her identity on social media, putting her safety at risk.In a video message, the survivor said, “Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s two daughters and their supporters have, for the past few days, been exposing my identity on social media.”“I am seeing it everywhere, on Facebook, Instagram, everywhere,” she added.Sengar, a former Uttar Pradesh MLA, was convicted in December 2019 in the Unnao rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh.
‘The intent behind that is to trouble’
Earlier this week on January 5, the survivor submitted an application to the CBI, alleging that her private posts were being circulated online to reveal her identity and intimidate her.“I met the Director and IG. They received it (the application) and said that they will take cognizance of it…If videos of girls like me are being posted on social media, the intent behind that is to trouble them” the victim told ANI.“But the supporters of Kuldeep Sengar are pulling up my photos from Instagram and uploading them on their social media accounts so that my identity can be revealed and I can be harmed,” she said.“I have a lifelong threat now, my children can be harmed; my family is under threat…With folded hands, I urge the home minister and CM to take action…I have been assured appropriate action by the CBI,” she added.
Supreme Court stays bail
On December 29, the Supreme Court stayed a Delhi high court order that had suspended Sengar’s life sentence and granted him bail. The apex court said he shall not be released from custody.A three-judge vacation bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih, was hearing the CBI’s plea against the high court’s December 23 order.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, urged the court to stay the order, calling it a “horrific rape” of a minor. “We are answerable to the child who was (aged) 15 years and 10 months,” he said, noting that Sengar was a powerful MLA at the time.
High Court order and reactions
The Delhi high court had granted bail citing that Sengar had already served seven years and five months in prison and questioned whether an elected representative fits the definition of a “public servant” under the IPC for the purposes of the POCSO Act. The order imposed several conditions while granting bail, including a personal bond of Rs 15 lakh with three sureties, a direction not to enter a 5-km radius of the survivor’s residence in Delhi, and a strict bar on threatening the survivor or her mother. The high court decision sparked protests by the survivor, her family and activists.
Sengar’s daughter’s letter open post SC verdict
Following the Supreme Court’s stay Sengar’s daughter, Ishita Sengar wrote an open letter saying she was “exhausted, frightened and slowly losing faith.”“I am writing this letter as a daughter who is exhausted, frightened, and slowly losing faith, but still holding on to hope because there is nowhere else left to go,” she wrote.She said, “For eight years, my family and I have waited… We trusted the law. We trusted the Constitution.” “Over these years, I have been told countless times on social media that I should be raped, killed, or punished simply for existing… It is daily. It is relentless,” she added.Meanwhile, the survivor’s mother welcomed the top court’s decision and reiterated her demand for justice for her daughter.
