Rape accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday told the Allahabad High Court that BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is not yet arrested as there is "no sufficient evidence" against him to proceed with the arrest. The High Court on Thursday pulled up Yogi Adityanath government asking them why the accused was not arrested as of now and asked for a reply by afternoon. The High Court will pronounce its order in the rape case of a 17-year-old woman, who was allegedly gang-raped in Unnao, on Friday at 2 pm.

The High Court asked the state government counsel, "Why has the MLA not been arrested yet?" and sought a reply post lunch. The Yogi Adityanath government has ordered to register an FIR against the MLA Thursday, while the UP government has put the onus of his arrest on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). While the Uttar Pradesh police referred to the MLA as a 'respectable' person, the opposition party leader Kapil Sibal took a dig at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him what message does he want to give after the case. He said at press conference, "Prime Minister, do you want to give the message of 'Betiyaan chuppao' or Beti Bachao'?" Earlier today, the UP Director General of Police OP Singh, at a press conference said, "Now that the case has been given to CBI, they will decide on the arrest issue."

As per Superintendent of Police (SP), Unnao, Pushpanjali Devi, the MLA has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The FIR has been registered under Sections 376 (rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel her marriage), 363 (kidnapping) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at the Maksi police station. Facing heat and growing outrage over the case, the Yogi Adityanath government on late Wednesday night had decided to hand over to the CBI the probe into the Unnao rape case.

The government has also recommended a CBI probe into the death of the victim's father allegedly in police custody on Monday.A Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted a report on Wednesday night to the UP government. On its basis, Circle Officer (CO) of Safipur Kunwar Bahadur Singh has been suspended. Three doctors of the Unnao prison have also been suspended for dereliction of duty. Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court (HC) has taken a suo moto cognisance of the incident. The girl tried to set herself ablaze outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence on Sunday, claiming inaction in the gang-rape case. Later on Sunday, her father was arrested by the UP police and allegedly roughed up by the BJP MLA's brother Atul Singh and his aides after which he died. The incident triggered a political storm and public outrage in Uttar Pradesh.