New Delhi [India], December 27 : Congress leader Mumtaz Patel on Saturday hit out at the central government following the Delhi High Court's order that suspended the sentence and granted bail to former Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case, and said that the government talks about putting animals in shelters, but they are not able to put rapists in jail.
Speaking to ANI, Mumtaz Patel said, "On behalf of all the women in the country, we are asking the government for protection and justice for the victim. If a government that says, 'Beti Bachao', is not able to do anything much for the heinous crime committed with the Unnao victim and lets powerful people get away, with their support, there is a problem with our country."
"It is very embarrassing when the world thinks that India is not a safe country for women. If we cannot protect our daughters, then we have no right to be in the government. The government talks about putting animals in shelters, but they are not able to put rapists in jail. I would urge women and even men to join our protest to feel the pain, to see how unprotected the women are in this country and come together to fight for the rights of women," she added.
The Unnao rape survivor and her mother voiced deep anguish and mistrust toward the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday, even as the agency moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court's order suspending the life sentence of former Uttar Pradesh MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and granting him bail.
Reacting to the development, the victim's mother questioned the CBI's intent, saying trust would come only through direct engagement. "If CBI meets us, only then will we trust them. How can we trust them otherwise? We have not discussed CBI. We have only said that the Investigating Officer met them. He was talking to Kuldeep Sengar's daughter. When we asked him whether he knew the victim, he said, 'Why would I know her?' He said this in a crowded court," she told ANI.
The survivor herself delivered a scathing attack, accusing the agency of failing to stand firmly with her during crucial stages of the case. "Had the CBI stood with my lawyer, we wouldn't have had to see this day. We would have won, and they would have lost," she said. Describing the impact of the case on her family, the survivor added, "Their family is bursting crackers. But ask my family. My father was killed. My husband and I were fired from our jobs. What will we eat? Where do we go? I have two newborns."
The survivor also alleged intimidation and injustice, claiming that while her family suffered, the accused was given leniency. "This is an injustice that one family was intimidated while the other person was given a free pass," she said, making sharp allegations against the judiciary.
Earlier on Friday, the CBI filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court's December 23, 2025, order that suspended Sengar's life sentence pending appeal and granted him bail.
Sengar was convicted in December 2019 in the Unnao rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25 lakh. Though granted bail in this case, he will continue to remain in jail as he is serving a 10-year sentence in another CBI case related to murder.