Rape-accused Kuldeep Sengar, granted parole for brother's funeral, meets supporters
Kuldeep Singh Sengar is accused of raping a teen, getting her father killed in custody, and orchestrating her near-fatal accident. But as it's evident, the allegations had no effect on his supporters, who swarmed a cremation ground in Unnao where Sengar performed last rites of his brother on Monday. In fact, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj also accompanied him. Read on to know what happened.
Sengar and brother Atul were granted 72-hour parole
Sengar, who is lodged in Tihar jail, was given relief for 72 hours for the last rites of his brother Manoj, who passed away on Saturday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. Atul Sengar, a co-accused in the case of the survivor's father's custodial death, was also given parole for the same period. Notably, Manoj alias Lankesh was involved in defense of his brothers.
Sengar greeted people, police officers remained mute spectators
The scenes at Unnao's Pariyar Ghat, where the cremation happened, were unprecedented. The now-expelled BJP MLA greeted his fans atop a vehicle, as he stood next to Sakshi Maharaj. To recall, the Unnao parliamentarian had also visited Sengar in jail after he won Lok Sabha polls. A couple of police officers, seen with Sengar, didn't attempt to stop the heroic welcome bestowed on him.
Sengar got emotional after lighting brother's pyre
Reportedly, after he lit the pyre of Manoj, Sengar got emotional and started weeping. He told the crowd he is innocent and that he would live and die for them. To his slogan-raising supporters, Sengar said he would emerge victorious. Before escorting Sengar back to Tihar, Delhi police also took him to his ancestral village Makhi, where he spent some 45 minutes.
No country for rape vicitms!
A number of BJP members extended support to Sengar
As it turns out, Sakshi Maharaj wasn't the only one who attended the funeral. BJP MLAs Pankaj Gupta, Abhijeet Singh Sanga, Anil Singh, and Bambalal Diwakar were also seen at the cremation ground. District BJP president Shrikant Katiyar and UP assembly speaker Hridaya Narayan Dixit also met Sengar. This shows that BJP hasn't snapped ties with Sengar, and his expulsion was just a facade.
UP has let the survivor down more than once!
If Sengar got such a rousing welcome despite being charged with rape and murder, one can only imagine the clout he enjoyed when he wasn't being investigated. It was the power he wielded that forced the survivor to attempt self-immolation outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence to get herself heard last year. The more UP celebrates Sengar, the more it's letting the victim down.
