The accident took place around 1 pm, said police.
Highlights
- The girl had levelled rape allegations against a BJP lawmaker last year
- She is seriously injured and two of her aunts are dead
- Her lawyer has also been admitted in hospital with injuries
A teenage girl -- who levelled rape allegations against BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Sengar last year -- and her family met with an accident in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck. The girl is seriously injured and two of her aunts are dead. The girl's lawyer, who was also in the vehicle, has been admitted in hospital with injuries, said his junior Vimal Kumar Yadav. The security detail that the girl was meant to have, was not accompanying her.
The accident took place around 1 pm as the family, which lives in Unnao -- about 45 km from state capital Lucknow -- was on its way to the district jail in Rae Bareli to meet her uncle. He is serving a life term in a separate case. It was raining heavily at the time. The truck that hit the vehicle had its number plate scrubbed with black paint. Its driver and owner have been arrested.
The number plate of the truck involved in the accident was scrubbed with black paint.
"Two women were injured and two have died in the accident. We'll conduct a forensic investigation of the truck and the number plates," senior police officer Rajiv Krishna said.
Another police officer MP Verma said, "Security was provided to the survivor and family after the rape incident. They used to trail the survivor everywhere. Our information suggests the security wasn't with them today, it seems they refused it. A probe has still been ordered as to why didn't designated security not accompany them."
Kuldeep Sengar has been in prison for a year over the alleged rape in 2017. The girl has alleged that she was raped by the lawmaker when she went to his Unnao home with a relative, to seek a job.
The girl and her family did not have police protection on Sunday.
The case made headlines last year, when the girl, then 16 years old, and her mother, attempted self-immolation outside the house of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on April 8, seeking justice.
The girl's father, who was pursuing her case, died shortly after he was detained by the police and severely beaten, allegedly by Kuldeep Sengar's brother. He had been booked by the police under the Arms Act and been in custody for two days. Frustrated about the police inaction, the girl had attempted self-immolation. Her father died of his injuries the next day.
Kuldeep Sengar -- a four-time legislator who represents Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly - and his brother were arrested.
The legislator has been charged with rape and criminal conspiracy by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the case. The CBI has told the court that the girl was raped by the BJP lawmaker around 8 pm on 4 June 2017.
The lawmaker's brother Atul Sengar and his two accomplices have been charged with murder and other related offences.