Unnao rape: Negligence led to victim's father's death

A probe into the death of Unnao rape victim's father in police custody has found the doctors at the jail and the district hospital guilty of negligence substantiating the allegations of foul play by the victim's family.

The father of the victim, who had accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Senger of raping her and attempted self-immolation near Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's official residence in April last year, died in the Unnao district jail under mysterious circumstances a day after her self-immolation bid.

She had tried to set herself on fire over the failure of the police to act against the lawmaker.

According to the sources, the probe has found that the jail doctor, identified as Banshbahadur Singh failed to send the medical investigation reports to the district hospital.

It has also found that Dr. Gaurav Agarwal, the emergency medical officer, at the district hospital, did not refer the victim's father to a higher centre even after his condition deteriorated.

The doctor, instead of referring him to a specialised centre, had discharged him on the request of the police and he was subsequently sent back to jail, where he died a few hours later.

Sources said that the two doctors had been asked to explain their actions. ''We will take stern action against the guilty doctors,'' said a senior health department official here on Thursday.

The victim's father, who had been thrashed by Senger's brother and goons inside the Makhi police station in Unnao district after the family dared to lodge a complaint of rape, was arrested on a petty charge and sent to jail.

The victim had claimed that her father had been tied to a tree and beaten by the MLA's goons after he refused to withdraw the complaint.

A video showing the victim's father sitting inside the police station amid the supporters of the MLA had also gone viral on the social networking sites. The injuries on his body were also visible in the video.