Beyond the verdict: Unnao rape case and the long shadow of intimidation

By Bharat Dogra

Public sympathy for a woman who was sexually assaulted as a minor in 2017 has been growing steadily across India. At the same time, anger against the main accused has intensified as more people become aware of the prolonged suffering endured by the survivor and her family, who continue to face threats allegedly linked to powerful interests.

On December 25, The Indian Express reported that public outrage has increased following the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the life sentence of former in the Unnao rape case involving a minor. The report noted that Sengar remains in prison due to a separate conviction related to the of the victim’s father, for which he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has since stated that it will file a special leave petition before the Supreme Court at the earliest against the High Court’s order granting bail to Sengar. The agency also clarified that it had opposed Sengar’s bail application during earlier proceedings.

Meanwhile, the survivor and her family members have reiterated that they continue to face threats, either directly from the convicted individual or from those allegedly acting on his behalf. These concerns acquire added significance when the sequence of events over the past several years is examined closely.

On December 25, Dainik Bhaskar, a leading Hindi daily, published a detailed timeline of developments related to the case, beginning with the crime committed on June 4, 2017, when the minor girl from a poor family reportedly approached Sengar seeking employment. On June 20, 2017, the victim and her father lodged an against him. On April 3, 2018, complaints were filed against the victim’s father by persons allegedly linked to Sengar, leading to his arrest. Six days later, on April 9, 2018, the victim’s father died in police custody.

In 2018, a witness connected to the custodial death reportedly died under mysterious circumstances. In July 2019, the victim’s uncle was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in a separate case. On July 28, 2019, a road accident involving a truck resulted in the deaths of two of the victim’s aunts, while the victim and her lawyer sustained serious injuries. This occurred months before Sengar was sentenced to life imprisonment on December 19, 2019. A day later, on December 20, the injured lawyer succumbed to his injuries.

The pattern of deaths and serious injuries involving the victim’s family members, a key witness, and a lawyer associated with the case raises disturbing questions. These incidents do not appear to be isolated or unrelated. Rather, they suggest the possibility of systematic intimidation or violence aimed at silencing those connected to the pursuit of justice in this case. This underscores the need for a wider and deeper investigation to uncover all dimensions of the alleged criminal activities involved.

History offers parallels where a series of unexplained deaths surrounding a major case prompted broader scrutiny. Following the assassination of U.S. President , multiple witnesses and individuals connected to the investigation died under unusual circumstances, leading to serious public debate about the likelihood of such events being purely coincidental. conducted at the time suggested that the probability of these deaths being entirely unrelated was extremely low.

Similarly, in the present case, it is imperative to thoroughly investigate all deaths and injuries occurring under suspicious circumstances involving those closely associated with the survivor’s pursuit of justice. Equally important is ensuring comprehensive protection and support for the survivor and her family.

This case has assumed wider significance in the context of women’s safety and the integrity of the justice system in India. The public will be watching closely to see whether the survivor and her family ultimately receive justice, protection, and closure.

---

The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine, When the Two Streams Met, and A Day in 2071

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

The war on junk food: Why India must adopt global warning labels

By Jag Jivan The global health landscape is witnessing a decisive shift toward aggressive regulation of the food industry, a movement highlighted by two significant policy developments shared by Dr. Arun Gupta of the Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi).

The illusion of nuclear abundance: Why NTPC’s expansion demands public scrutiny

By Shankar Sharma* The recent news that NTPC is scouting 30 potential sites across India for a massive nuclear power expansion should be a wake-up call for every citizen. While the state-owned utility frames this as a bold stride toward a 100,000 MW nuclear capacity by 2047, a cold look at India’s nuclear saga over the last few decades suggests this ambition may be more illusory than achievable. More importantly, it carries implications that could fundamentally alter the safety, environment, and economic health of our communities.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Search This Blog