Protest Held Outside Delhi HC Over Bail In Unnao Rape Case, Victim's Mother Says 'Hang The Person Guilty'

Protests broke out outside the Delhi High Court on Friday following its decision to grant conditional bail to expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case. Demonstrators gathered near the court complex, raising slogans and voicing strong opposition to the suspension of Sengar’s life sentence.

The protests come amid serious safety concerns raised by the survivor and her family. Reacting to the court’s order, the survivor said she felt “extremely unsafe” after learning that Sengar had been granted bail, despite restrictions placed on his movement.

Speaking to ANI, the survivor’s mother criticised the decision and said the family would approach the Supreme Court. “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 do not get justice in the Supreme Court, we will go to another country. The person guilty of my husband’s murder should be hanged immediately,” she said.

Visuals shared by ANI showed police and security personnel asking protesters to disperse, warning that legal action would be taken if they failed to clear the area within five minutes.

Women’s rights activist Yogita Bhayana, who participated in the protest, said the court’s decision had caused widespread distress. “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,” she said.

Another protester questioned the basis of the bail order, telling ANI, “On what grounds was Kuldeep Sengar granted bail when it was established that he committed rape and murder? If he was sentenced to life imprisonment, why is he out? We demand that the rapist be sent back to jail so women feel safe.”

Sengar was convicted in December 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district in 2017. Earlier this week, the Delhi High Court suspended his sentence, noting that he had already served more than the maximum punishment prescribed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Although the court barred Sengar from entering a five-kilometre radius of the survivor, the order has intensified fears within her family. The survivor cited past incidents to explain her apprehension. “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 2019, in which two of my relatives and my lawyer died, Sengar did not do it himself. His henchmen did. Now that he is out, we are all unsafe,” she said.

Now 24 years old and residing in Delhi, the survivor has been provided with court-mandated security following the bail order and is accompanied by five to 11 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at all times. However, her mother said the security cover earlier provided to her and her three children until March this year was later withdrawn.
www.merabharatsamachar.com