The survivor of the Unnao rape case has once again spoken out, expressing grave fears for her life and seeking relocation to a Congress-ruled state. In an exclusive interview with India Today, she said she continues to live under constant threat, claiming that former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar could “reach anywhere” and have her killed. She also demanded the removal of Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar after he mocked her for protesting in Delhi.
The case has returned to the national spotlight following the Delhi High Court’s decision earlier this week to suspend Kuldeep Sengar’s life sentence in the 2017 rape case. While the court granted him interim relief, Sengar remains behind bars as he is also serving a separate 10-year sentence in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father. In response to the court order, the survivor and her mother staged a protest at India Gate on Wednesday. They later met Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to seek support.
Recalling her interaction with Rahul Gandhi, the survivor said he assured her that her safety concerns would be taken seriously. She said Gandhi promised to explore ways to strengthen her security and help arrange for a senior lawyer to represent her in the Supreme Court. Acting on these assurances, a petition was filed on Thursday seeking a stay on the High Court’s order suspending Sengar’s sentence.
“I was raped, my father was later killed, and in 2019, a road accident was deliberately staged to murder me,” she said, describing a pattern of intimidation and violence that has followed her since she first accused Sengar. She added that Rahul Gandhi also advised her to approach the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister regarding her security and relocation.
The survivor said she lives in a state of constant fear despite the conditions imposed by the High Court on Sengar. The court has barred him from threatening her or her mother, directed him to report to a police station every Monday, and prohibited him from coming within five kilometres of her residence. However, she said these restrictions do little to reassure her.
“The conditions may look fine on paper, but I don’t feel safe. He has influence and resources. He can use his aides or henchmen to harm me. I don’t know if he has already given a contract to get me killed,” she said. She added that the prolonged legal battle and security concerns have also destroyed her family’s livelihood, as her husband is unable to go out to work. “I have two very young children, and we are struggling to survive,” she said.
Her anguish was further compounded by remarks made by Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who appeared to mock her protest at India Gate. When asked about police removing her from the protest site, Rajbhar reportedly laughed and questioned why she was protesting in Delhi instead of Unnao, where she lives.
Reacting to his comments, the survivor demanded Rajbhar’s immediate removal from the ministry. “He was laughing while speaking about my protest. He should be ashamed of himself for backing a rape accused. Something so horrific happened to me, and instead of showing sensitivity, he chose to mock me,” she said. She appealed directly to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to sack the minister, saying such statements deepen her trauma and reflect a complete lack of empathy toward survivors of sexual violence.
