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Protest outside Delhi HC over bail in Unnao rape case, survivor's mother says ‘hang the guilty’
Protesters gathered near the court premises, raising slogans and expressing opposition to the bail order.
People staged a protest outside the Delhi high court on Friday amid a row over the court’s decision to grant conditional bail to expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case. Protesters gathered near the court premises, raising slogans and expressing opposition to the bail order.
The protests come amid grave concerns expressed by the Unnao rape survivor and her family over the suspension of Sengar’s jail term. Reacting to the court order, the survivor told Hindustan Times, “I am extremely upset by what has happened today in the court.” She also said she felt “extremely unsafe” after learning about the bail conditions granted to Sengar.
Talking to ANI news agency on Friday, the victim’s mother expressed strong objection to the bail, saying, “His bail should be rejected... We will knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. We have lost faith in the high court... If we don't get justice in the Supreme Court, we will go to another country... The person guilty of my husband's murder should be hanged immediately.”
Visuals shared by the news agency showed security personnel asking protesters to end the demonstration immediately, warning that legal action would be taken if they did not disperse within five minutes.
Women’s rights activist Yogita Bhayana, who was present at the protest, said, “Women across India are deeply hurt that the sentence of a rapist has been overturned. This happened in this very court. So, we will seek justice from the same place where the injustice occurred,” ANI reported.
Another protester told ANI, “On what grounds was Kulldeep Sengar granted bail, when it was declared that he had committed rapes and murders? If a life sentence was given to him, then why is he out?... We demand that the rapist should go behind bars so women feel safe.”
Kuldeep Sengar was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2019 for the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao in 2017. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court suspended the expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s life sentence, noting that he had already served more than the maximum punishment prescribed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The court’s decision triggered fresh fears within the survivor’s family, despite the order barring Sengar from coming within a five-kilometre radius of her.
The survivor cited past incidents to explain her concerns, saying, “He is a powerful man. He would get his men to do his dirty work for him. When my car met with an accident in which two of my relatives and my lawyer died in 2019, Sengar didn’t do it himself. His henchmen did. Now that he is out, we are all unsafe.”
Now 24, the survivor is a resident of Delhi. Following the grant of conditional bail to Sengar, she has been provided court-ordered protection and is accompanied by five to 11 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at all times. However, her mother has said that security cover provided to her and her three children until March this year was subsequently withdrawn.
