An Indian politician has been convicted of the rape of a young woman when she was a teenager, in a case that involved the deaths of multiple witnesses.
Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a former member of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly for prime minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was found guilty of kidnapping and raping a minor.
The court found the victim’s testimony to be “unblemished, truthful and of a sterling quality”, reported NDTV.
She was 17 when the rape took place in 2017, in the village of Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Her case rose to prominence in April 2018 when she attempted to immolate herself in protest at police inaction.
One day later, her father – who brought the case to police on her behalf – was beaten by a group of men allegedly including Mr Sengar’s brother, and died of his injuries in hospital.
Then in July this year, the victim was travelling with her lawyer and two female relatives when their car was involved in a head-on collision with a truck, killing the relatives.
One of the relatives was a witness in the case. The victim and her lawyer were critically injured and remained in hospital for two months to recover.
A special court proceeding was held in the hospital to record the victim’s statement following the collision as she was unable to attend the trial.
The court said Sengar conspired to “silence” the victim’s father and ordered his accomplices to beat him.
It viewed the murder as “part of a larger conspiracy to deter, silence and prevent the father from pursuing” the rape of his daughter in 2017.
The case drew an outcry from both the public and opposition members of India’s parliament, who protested after the car crash took place.
Dayanidhi Maran, an MP, said at the time: “Every Indian hangs his head in shame because of the horrific Unnao case and the violence committed against the victim.
“Raped, subjected to violence, kith and kin killed. Is this the ‘New India’ we want to live in?”
Mr Sengar was expelled from the BJP party in August. He will be sentenced on Thursday, reported India Today.
