“He (Mahendra) and the rape survivor’s uncle, who was recently moved to Tihar Jail, were neighbours and friends. They went to school together too,” 42-year-old Sagar, a milkman and a resident of the village told The Quint.

Outside the lawyer’s home in Unnao village, 70 km from Lucknow, the mood was sombre. Women trickled into the house to meet his mother, who wasn’t in any condition to speak, while men sat outside, concerned.