Uttar Pradesh govt promises to put Unnao case on fast track

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has promised to put on fast track the trial of those accused of raping a 23-year-old in Unnao last year and trying to murder her on Thursday. “The trial will be fast-tracked,” UP additional chief secretary Avanish Awasthi told ET. Awasthi, however, declined to provide a deadline for the case.

A day after the five key accused were arrested by the police, the rape survivor’s relative is reported to have received threatening calls from the kin of the accused. The caller allegedly asked the family to back down from giving evidence in the case and threatened to burn down the house and shop of the rape survivor’s relative.

Unnao Police told journalists that it had taken steps to protect the relative. The police also said that it had provided

protection to the victim’s family members who are with her in Delhi. It has also made security arrangements for the family when they return to their village.

UP police DG OP Singh had on Thursday told ET that the victim had not asked for protection. The UP government’s statement came on a day the Telangana Police eliminated four rape accused in an alleged encounter.

Unnao, a town nestled between Lucknow and Kanpur, is back in the limelight for its lawlessness. Last year, BJP MLA Kuldip Singh Sengar was accused of raping a 17-year old at his home. The victim’s father was later framed in a case and jailed to deter him from pursuing the case. He died in police custody. While the entire trial was fast-tracked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act which calls for a case to be settled in a year, the verdict is pending even after two years.

The victim who was shifted from Lucknow to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital remains unconscious and on life support. Her vitals remained unstable. A team of doctors from the burns ward, respiratory department and anesthetics are monitoring her health.