Unnao Rape: Forensic Tests Find No Poison in Body of Key Witness

The victim’s uncle has alleged that Khan had been poisoned by the accused, as it would benefit them.

Forensic tests did not find any trace of poison in the viscera samples of Mohammad Yunus Khan, the key witness in the alleged murder of the the Unnao rape victim’s father, police said on Sunday, 2 September, reports Hindustan Times.

The earlier claim had been made by the victim’s uncle, who said that Khan had been poisoned and murdered by the accused, as it would benefit them.

Following his claim, Khan’s body was exhumed on 25 August. However, the ADG, law and order, Anand Kumar clarified that no trace of poison was found in the viscera samples that were sent for chemical analysis to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Lucknow.

FALSE ALLEGATIONS BY UNCLE?

Despite the claims made by the rape victim’s uncle, Khan’s family maintained that he had died due to a prolonged liver disease, reports The Hindu.

They also stated that the uncle had attempted to bribe them into seeking exhumation of the body.

A panel of three doctors reportedly carried out the autopsy and did not find any unnatural cause behind his death. Khan was reportedly undergoing treatment for Hepatitis C when he passed away, Hindustan Times reports.

Khan’s wife, Shabeena Khatoon, who had attempted self-immolation at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence on 25 August, over the exhumation of the body, said she was thinking about taking legal action against the rape victim’s uncle, The Hindustan Times reports.

THE CASE SO FAR

Khan was a key witness in the alleged murder of the father of a minor girl, who had allegedly been raped by BJP MLA Kuldip Sengar, in Unnao, last year .

The survivor had attempted self-immolation at Yogi’s residence on 8 April in protest. The survivor had alleged that despite her attempts to name Sengar in her FIR, they had refused to do so. Following this attempt, the MLA’s brother and his men had beaten up her father, and instead of registering a complaint, the police had arrested the latter under Sections 323, 504 and 506 of the IPC.

Her father had later succumbed to his injuries, while he was still in police custody.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times and The Hindu)