Unnao rape survivor's accident: Eyewitnesses reveal what they saw
A truck that collided with a car, in which the Unnao rape survivor was traveling, was moving at high speed, eyewitnesses who saw the accident on Sunday told Indian Express. It was raining heavily at the time and the driver was driving in the wrong direction, they added. While the survivor was grievously injured in the accident, two of her aunts died. Here's more.
Rape, father's death, and accident: Unnao's survivor faced it all
The survivor has been through a lot- She was allegedly raped by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017 but her pleas were heard only after she tried self-immolation outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's house last year. Her father also died in judicial custody. If this wasn't enough, the victim met with a deadly accident, which her family claimed Sengar engineered to silence her.
Though on ventilator, victim is said to be stable
Apart from the victim, her lawyer Mahendra Singh also suffered critical injuries in the accident. In the latest development, Lucknow's King George Medical University Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment, said they are stable. However, the survivor is still on a ventilator.
Driver was moving truck in wrong direction: Eyewitnesses
If eyewitnesses are to be believed, the driver is solely responsible for the mishap. Ramesh Chandra Yadav, who runs a shop at the Pore Dauli crossing said, the truck was on the wrong side of the road. "The driver made a turn to move to another side of road and car, coming from the opposite direction, rammed into the side of the truck," he added.
After hitting car, truck's driver and cleaner ran
"The truck dragged the car for around 10 meters and stopped. Before we could reach the spot, the truck driver and cleaner exited the vehicle and ran into the fields," Yadav said. Since everyone was busy in rescuing the injured, no one chased them. Separately, Gaya Prasad, who also saw the mishap, said this was not the way to drive a heavy vehicle.
Driver, cleaner, and owner are in police custody
Moving swiftly after the accident, police arrested the driver Ashish Pal, cleaner Mohan and truck owner Debendra Kishore. However, Ashish's family dismissed allegations of foul play. "Had my son been involved in any wrong activities, we wouldn't have been living in a house built of mud. We even don't have a television or a fridge in the house," his mother Raj Rani told IE.
Meanwhile, Debendra's brother explained why truck's number was wiped out
The probe into the accident was handed over to CBI on Tuesday. Interestingly, Ashish's family also wanted the same as they are confident of his innocence. Meanwhile, Debendra's older brother Nand Kishor Pal explained why the truck's number was wiped out. Debendra had got the truck financed last year from a company in Kanpur but couldn't pay last four installments, Nand Kishor said.
No one in family ever met Sengar: Nand Kishor
"Fearing his truck would be re-possessed, my brother got one number plate blacked out. There is no other reason behind it," Nand Kishor, who was previously with Samajwadi Party and is now with Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, said. He added none of his family members met Sengar. "My brother is innocent and there is no criminal conspiracy behind the accident," he claimed.
