'They want to kill us all...': Unnao rape survivor stopped from protesting, her mother says 'we're not safe'

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Security personnel in the national capital allegedly prevented the survivor of the 2017 Unnao rape case and her mother from staging a protest against the Delhi High Court’s recent order granting relief to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

The survivor, along with her mother, was holding the protest at India Gate against the court's decision. On Tuesday, both of them were detained. Their lawyer Yogita Bhayana was also detained along with them.

They were scheduled to address the media at Mandi House on Wednesday. But the bus that they were travelling in reportedly did not stop at the venue.

Officials cited by NDTV said no permission had been granted for a protest at either Mandi House or India Gate. According to them, the plan was to escort the survivor and her mother either to Jantar Mantar or back to their residence.

The situation escalated when the survivor’s mother allegedly jumped off the moving bus. Visuals showed CRPF personnel pushing and elbowing the elderly woman before she disembarked, while the bus continued with the survivor still inside. Notably, no women CRPF personnel were present on the bus, despite it transporting the survivor and her mother.

Speaking to the media, the survivor’s mother said, “We did not get justice. They are taking my daughter away like a captive. These security personnel want to kill us all. Kuldeep Sengar’s bail should be cancelled; otherwise, we will give up our lives. We are not safe."

Lawyer-activist Yogita Bhayana condemned the incident, calling it a serious failure of justice. “Is this justice? The victim’s mother was thrown onto the street. She’s crying and calling us. Is this a country or a banana republic? The survivor is all alone on the bus, being driven around in circles," she said.

Political reactions also followed the incident. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticised the handling of the survivor by security forces, questioning the treatment meted out to her. “Is such treatment of a gang rape survivor appropriate? Is her ‘fault’ that she has the courage to raise her voice for justice?" he said.

The developments come a day after the Delhi High Court suspended Sengar’s life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case, noting that he had already spent seven years and five months in prison. The sentence has been suspended pending the disposal of his appeal against the conviction, which challenges a December 2019 trial court verdict.

However, Sengar will remain behind bars as he continues to serve a 10-year sentence in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father, a case in which he has not been granted bail.