Unnao rape case: Congress leader, others detained protesting HC order suspending ex-BJP MLA sentence

The Delhi Police on Saturday detained Congress leader Mumtaz Patel and several other protesters who were staging a sit-in near the Parliament complex to oppose a Delhi High Court order suspending the life sentence of former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case involving a minor, PTI reported.

The protesters reached the area around 4 pm, sat on the road, chanted slogans and demanded the cancellation of the bail granted to Sengar by the Delhi High Court on December 23, the news agency reported.

Police officials announced through loudspeakers that the area near Parliament was not a designated site for protests and asked the demonstrators to disperse. When they refused to vacate the spot, they were removed and detained, PTI quoted unidentified officials as saying.

The detentions came a day after the complainant’s mother, along with others, staged a protest outside the Delhi High Court against the order.

On December 23, the Delhi High Court granted Sengar bail while the former MLA’s appeal against conviction is being heard. However, the former MLA from Uttar Pradesh was directed not to travel within a five-km radius of the complainant’s home.

Sengar will, however, remain in jail as he is also serving a 10-year sentence in connection with the custodial death...

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