PTI, Lucknow: Amid mounting outrage over the alleged gangrape of a minor girl over a year ago, the Allahabad High Court today castigated the UP government for delay in arrest of the accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar despite an FIR against him, warning it may be forced to observe that “law and order has collapsed in the state”.
The FIR itself came days after the Unnao girl tried to self-immolate in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s house on Sunday accusing authorities of inaction, and death of her father in custody the next day allegedly after being beaten up by the politician’s brother and their henchmen in front of policemen.
As the public outcry raged amid growing demands by political parties and civil society for the legislator’s arrest, protests were also held outside Adityanath’s house while the police put the onus on the CBI to arrest the MLA, who has remained defiant and has dubbed allegations as a political conspiracy.
The FIR was registered against Sengar under various sections of the IPC, including for rape, kidnapping and criminal intimidation as well as under provisions of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Under POCSO, an accused has to be arrested immediately.
The case was registered hours before the high court was to hear the matter, and so was the UP government’s decision on transferring the case to the CBI late last night.
“Police is not ready to register FIR of a minor rape victim. In spite of SIT report, you are repeating that we can only take any action after further investigation, if this is the conduct of the police in state, whom a victim will approach to register a complaint. If this is the stand you repeatedly taking then we will be forced to observe in our order that law and order has collapsed in the state,” the court said.
