Sakshi Maharaj had earlier described the accident involving the rape survivor as "unfortunate and sad".
Over 10,000 people visited Kuldeep Singh Sengar -- expelled BJP lawmaker and Unnao rape accused -- during his 14-month stay at Sitapur jail in Uttar Pradesh, news agency IANS has quoted sources in the CBI as saying. Among them were many politicians, including Unnao parliamentarian Sakshi Maharaj, it reported.
According to IANS, around 20 to 25 people would visit Kuldeep Singh Sengar every day. The news agency claimed that the names of some visitors weren't even recorded, and that has now become a problem due to the CBI insisting that information be provided on everybody who dropped by.
The lawmaker was sent to Sitapur jail in May 2018 over charges of raping a minor girl who had approached him at his Unnao residence for a job. He, along with nine others, now faces additional allegations of orchestrating a July 28 road accident in Raebareli that ended up critically injuring the rape survivor and her lawyer, besides killing two of her aunts. Doctors at the Lucknow hospital where they have been admitted say that the two remain in a critical state, although the lawyer has been taken off ventilator support.
However, the rape accused will not remain in Sitapur jail for much longer. A Delhi court today ordered his transfer to Tihar Jail in the national capital, so the trial in the murder case can be completed in 45 days.
A jail official told IANS that many dignitaries dropped by over the last 14 months to meet Kuldeep Singh Sengar. "MPs, MLAs, officers, former legislators and even sitting MLAs from opposition parties would visit him regularly. We were not in a position to prevent any of them from meeting Sengar. Besides them, people from his constituency would come to visit him regularly. There would be a rush even on Sundays and public holidays," the news agency quoted him as saying.
Sakshi Maharaj, one of the most prominent leaders on the list, represents Unnao in the Lok Sabha. When asked to comment on the rape survivor's accident a few days ago, he had said: "The Unnao rape survivor's accident is unfortunate and we are sad about it. But the CBI is already investigating the case, and hence, making a statement over it will not be appropriate."
Last week, two video clips that showed jail guards telling people not to meet Kuldeep Singh Sengar until the controversy has died down was widely circulated on social media. The guards, identified as Mahendra Yadav and Satya Prakash Varma, have been transferred to the Fatehgarh and Mau prisons respectively. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against them.
Jail Superintendent DC Misra refused to comment on the issue.
(With inputs from IANS)