‘Kaal’ for my family: Unnao rape survivor to move SC against suspension of Sengar’s jail term

Unnao/Ballia (UP): The 2017 Unnao rape survivor on Wednesday said the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the sentence of former BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar had pushed her family into fear and uncertainty, describing the ruling as “kaal”, or death, for those seeking justice. She said she would challenge the order before the Supreme Court, even as political reactions and public protests intensified in the national capital.

A day after she and her mother were removed from a protest at India Gate, the survivor told media organisations that the court’s order had worsened her security concerns. She said protection extended earlier to her family members, lawyers and witnesses had already been withdrawn. “If the convict gets bail in a case like this, how will the country’s daughters remain safe?” she asked, adding, “Those with money win, those without money lose.”

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suspended Sengar’s life sentence in the rape and kidnapping case and ordered his release on bail while his appeal against the December 2019 conviction is heard. The court directed that Sengar must not enter a five-kilometre radius of the survivor’s residence and must not threaten her or her mother. It added that any violation of the conditions would automatically cancel the bail. Sengar, however, will continue to remain in prison as he is also serving a separate 10-year sentence in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father and has not been granted bail in that case.

The survivor, who was a minor when the crime took place in 2017, said the high court’s decision had deepened her fears rather than offering relief. She said the verdict had left her family feeling unsafe and abandoned.

On Tuesday night, the survivor and her mother staged a protest near Mandi House and later at India Gate, demanding a review of the bail order. Women’s rights activist Yogita Bhayana, who accompanied them, alleged that the protestors were forcibly removed and that the survivor was injured during the scuffle. Bhayana shared videos and audio clips on social media platform X in which the survivor was heard saying she was prevented from meeting her lawyer.

In one video, the survivor claimed that CRPF personnel tried to send her back home when she left to consult her legal counsel. “I was shouting that I need to visit my lawyer. I was shouting in the vehicle as well and then an order came from the top to take me to meet my lawyer,” she said in the recording, adding, “All I want is justice.”

Bhayana also alleged that the survivor’s mother was pushed onto the road after being removed from India Gate. Police denied the charge, with a senior officer stating that protesters were removed around 8:45 pm on Tuesday and taken in a CRPF bus, adding that no further action was taken.

Reacting to the developments, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised the treatment of the survivor and questioned the grant of bail to the convict. In a post on X written in Hindi, he said the survivor was being harassed despite showing courage in seeking justice. He described the situation as both “disappointing and shameful” and said such incidents reflected a deeper crisis in society. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh minister OP Rajbhar drew criticism after he laughed when asked by reporters about the survivor being removed from India Gate. When questioned, he remarked that her home was in Unnao before breaking into laughter, triggering outrage across political lines. The survivor later said that the incident had left her emotionally shattered. “I wanted to kill myself then and there, but I stopped after thinking about my family,” she said.

On Wednesday, the survivor visited the residence of senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and met Rahul Gandhi.

Support for the survivor also came from Asha Devi, the mother of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape victim, who termed the high court’s decision “unfortunate”. She said granting bail to a life convict in a rape case could weaken public faith in the justice system and embolden offenders. “This is injustice not just to one family, but to all daughters and women of the country,” she said, urging the court to reconsider its order. The Unnao rape case and related matters were transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi in August 2019 following directions from the Supreme Court, citing concerns over the survivor’s safety and the fairness of proceedings.

As protests continue and political reactions mount, the survivor has said she will pursue all legal remedies available to her, reiterating that her fight is not only for herself but for justice and safety for women across the country.