Father of girl who accused BJP MLA of rape dies in police custody

A day after a girl tried to set herself on fire outside the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's residence, alleging police inaction in her gang rape by a BJP MLA, her father died in police custody on Monday.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the incident unfortunate and announced that a top-ranking police official will probe the matter. Those behind the incident will not be spared at any cost, he added.

Surendra Singh, whose daughter accused BJP legislator from Unnao Kuldeep Singh Sengar of raping her, was picked up by police late on Sunday and was apparently beaten mercilessly by four aides of the legislator as well as police personnel.

An official said the man had serious injuries on his body and was not taken to a hospital till late in the night.

A doctor at the district hospital, where he was eventually taken, told the media that he was brought with serious abdominal pain and vomiting.

Unnao Superintendent of Police Pushpanjali Devi said the four aides who took part in the beating have been arrested.

Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar said a magisterial probe had been ordered.

An informed source said that District Magistrate Ravi Kumar N.G. went to the post-mortem centre to seek first hand information.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manish Bansal has been asked to submit a report to the government at the earliest.

Following the Chief Minister's orders, the Uttar Pradesh government suspended four police officers, including the Station House Officer of Makhi, Ashok Shukla, and three constables.

The probe has been assigned to Additional Director General, Rajeev Krishna.

Meanwhile Sengar told some reporters in Unnao that he was being framed by some people in a pre-planned manner to defame him.

Former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has meanwhile demanded the resignation of Adityanath over the incident. In a tweet soon after the incident came to light, he said it was shameful that such an incident had happened.

--IANS

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