Lucknow, April 12, The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday assured a fair probe into the alleged gang rape of a girl by a BJP legislator and the custodial death of her father, saying it was not trying to protect anyone.
However, due to a pending Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, the accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Unnao, has not been arrested, it added.
Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar and Director General of Police (DGP) O.P. Singh said at a joint press conference that a free and fair probe has been initiated but action will be taken only after hearing both the sides.
"Nobody is defending Kuldeep Singh Sengar. What we mean is that we have to hear both sides," DGP Singh said.
Kumar informed that the case has been recommended to the CBI for further probe.
An FIR will also be lodged against Sengar for conspiring to beat up the victim's father, who subsequently died in police custody on Monday, an official informed.
Based on areport submitted on Wednesday night to the state government by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Circle Officer (CO) of Safipur Kunwar Bahadur Singh has been suspended for not entertaining the complaint by the gang rape victim.
Three doctors of the Unnao prison have also been suspended for dereliction of duty.
With the Allahabad High Court (HC) taking suo motto cognizance of the incident, the SIT is reportedly set to submit its preliminary report before the court later on Thursday.
The family of the victim, home department officials informed, have been given adequate security also.
Police has suspended six of its personnel, including station house officer of Makhi and five constables, and arrested Senger's brother Atul Singh and four of his aides -- Baua, Vineet, Shailu and Sonu -- for beating the girl's father to death.
The girl tried to set herself on fire outside the Chief Minister's residence on Sunday, claiming inaction in the gang rape case. Later on Sunday, her father was picked up by police and allegedly roughed up by Atul Singh and his aides after which he died.
The incident triggered a political storm and public outrage in the state.
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New Delhi, Mar 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP on Friday of indulging in "tax terrorism" by misusing probe agencies and warned it, saying when the government changes, such exemplary action will be taken that no one will dare to do such things again.
In a post on X, Gandhi shared a video of his press conference held on March 15 where he answered a query relating to the income-tax notices issued against the Congress and used the hashtag "#BJPTaxTerrorism" with it.
"When the government changes, action will definitely be taken against those who have disrobed democracy. And such exemplary action will be taken that no one will dare to do all this again. This is my guarantee," the former Congress chief said in his post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi's post came on a day when the Congress said it has received fresh notices from the income-tax department, asking it to pay Rs 1,823.08 crore, and alleged that the BJP is in "serious violation" of income-tax laws for which authorities should raise a demand for more than Rs 4,600 crore from the saffron party.
The Congress also accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging in "tax terrorism" to financially cripple the opposition party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
जब सरकार बदलेगी तो ‘लोकतंत्र का चीरहरण’ करने वालों पर कार्रवाई ज़रूर होगी!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 29, 2024
और ऐसी कार्रवाई होगी कि दोबारा फिर किसी की हिम्मत नहीं होगी, ये सब करने की।
ये मेरी गारंटी है।#BJPTaxTerrorism pic.twitter.com/SSkiolorvH