BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, an accused in the Unnao rape case, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today evening.
The arrest came hours after the Allahabad High Court directed the independent agency to arrest and not detain the alleged accused and sought a report on the case by May 2. Directing the CBI to carry out investigation strictly in accordance with law, the court told the agency to consider filing an application for cancellation of bail granted to other accused in the case.
Ahead of the high court rulling, the CBI had taken over the investigation on Thursday in three cases related to the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and questioned the lawmaker in this regard at its Lucknow office, officials said today.
The agency, which was referred the matter only yesterday, took immediate action by re-registering the FIRs lodged by the Uttar Pradesh police and brought the four-time MLA to its Lucknow office at around 5 am for questioning, they added.
Sengar, an MLA from Bangarmau in Unnao district, was not arrested yet, the officials said.
They added that a team of officials visited the crime scenes in Makhi village and talked to the family members of the victim, witnesses and officials of the hospital, where the victim and her father were taken for treatment.
The first FIR pertains to the alleged rape of the girl in which Sengar and a woman, Shashi Singh, have been named as the accused.
The second one pertains to rioting, in which four locals have been booked, and also the alleged killing of the victim's father in judicial custody. Since the murder charge was added subsequently by the state police, it does not reflect in the CBI FIR.
The third case pertains to the allegations against the victim's father, who was arrested under the Arms Act and put in jail by the police, where he died. According to the post-mortem report, he had suffered serious injuries.
As per the rules, the CBI re-registers the FIRs of the state police while taking over a probe, but remains at freedom to arrive at its own conclusions, which are filed before a special court in its final report. The final report can either be a closure report or a chargesheet.
The victim has alleged that on June 4, 2017, she was raped by the MLA at his residence, when she had gone to meet him, along with a relative, seeking a job.
In February, the girl's family had moved the court, seeking to include the MLA's name in the case. Subsequently, the victim's father was booked by the police under the Arms Act on April 3 and put in jail on April 5.
Frustrated with the alleged police inaction on her complaint and coercion from influential people, the victim had attempted self-immolation in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence on April 8.
The next day, her father had died in jail with the post-mortem report suggesting serious injuries on his body.
Faced with the embarrassment of a ruling party MLA being accused in a rape case, the BJP government in the state had referred the matter to the Centre yesterday, a day before the Allahabad High Court was to pronounce its order, directing the CBI to take over the probe in the case.
The Centre too acted with alacrity and referred the matter to the CBI last night. The agency sleuths swooped down at the Lucknow residence of Sengar in the early hours today and took him to its office for questioning.
Sengar, a four-time MLA, enjoys an immense clout, cutting across party lines, in the rural areas of Unnao district, a semi-urban area at a distance of about 70 km from Lucknow.
A video, purportedly showing the victim's father before his death, has gone viral. Several television news channels have also aired it.
In the video, the victim's father alleged that he was mercilessly beaten up, including with rifle butts, by the MLA's brother and others in the presence of police personnel.
