‘Will I Meet Unnao Survivor’s Fate?’: Schoolgirl Questions UP Cop

The girl stood up to to ask when Additional Superintendent of Police RS Gautam said girls should remain alert.

(Photo: The Quint)

A schoolgirl from Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki has grabbed many eyeballs, including that of politicians, amid the ongoing controversy around the Unnao rape survivor’s car crash. A bold question asked by her left a senior Uttar Pradesh police officer feeling uneasy.

During a safety awareness campaign event in UP, asked him if she would face the same fate as the Unnao rape survivor, whose vehicle was hit by a truck in which her two aunts died.

Speaking at a Balika Suraksha Jaagruktaa Abhiyaan programme at a school in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki on Wednesday, 31 July, Additional Superintendent of Police (North) RS Gautam said girls should remain alert, and if they feel anything wrong is being done to them, they should immediately call up the toll-free number.

At this, the student stood up and asked him: "If the person against whom we are complaining comes to know about it, and if we have an accident, what will happen?"

“Will I get justice on registering a protest? Because in Unnao an MLA had outraged the modesty of a girl, and when she was fighting the legal battle, she had an accident. She is now battling for her life.”

The Student asked

The question puzzled the officer and he cryptically said, "All complainants to toll-free number would be provided help."

On Sunday, the car in which the Unnao rape survivor, her family and lawyer were travelling was hit by a truck in Rae Bareli, killing her two aunts and leaving her and the advocate critically injured.

The CBI, which has taken over the investigation into Sunday’s road accident, booked 10 people for murder, including BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is already in jail, charged with the rape of the Unnao woman when she was a minor in 2017.

The UP police on Monday filed a murder case against Sengar and nine others after the rape survivor's family filed a complaint alleging conspiracy behind the accident.

‘Question on Mind of All Women in UP’: Priyanka Gandhi

The school student also caught the attention of Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi, who said that this is a question on the minds of all girls and women in Uttar Pradesh.

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said, "'If some resourceful person does anything wrong then will our voices against him be heard'. This is the question posed to the Uttar Pradesh government by a girl student from Barabanki at a girls awareness rally".

"This question is on the minds of all girls and women in UP. BJP must answer," she said.

(With inputs from PTI)