5 Things About MP Atul Rai Rape Case, Which Led A Woman To Self-Immolate

Atul Rai rape case: A woman and man who self-immolated outside the Supreme Court in the national capital on August 16 both succumbed to their injuries in days following the incident. The two were reportedly rallying for justice in a case of rape the woman had registered in 2019 against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Atul Rai.

The man died over the weekend, followed by the woman on August 24. Police in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh had begun probing the self-immolation case. Victim statements could not be recorded. More on the case here.

Peers at college in Varanasi, the duo had been raising the issue of alleged rape and harassment by investigating officers in Rai's case through regular social media updates. On the day that they self-immolated too they had uploaded a Facebook livestream questioning the law and order situation.

About Atul Rai Rape Case: Timeline Of Events

1. The woman alleged Rai raped her in June 2018 at her flat and threatened to leak videos of the incident in case she complained. According to reports, she confided in her male friend about the assault and filed a complaint against the BSP MP. Family of the deceased claim top officials harassed the complainant to protect the politician.

2. Police arrested Rai after the rape complaint and he remains in jail today. However, following his arrest, the complainant alleged she received threats to her life and that police were conspiring against her by laying false charges against her and her male friend.

3. After Rai's arrest in 2019, his brother had filed a complaint against the woman for forgery, as per Indian Express, which led to a non-bailable arrest warrant against her. Relatives of the now-deceased man, meanwhile, claim police had attempted to implicate him in false rape cases.

4. On the self-immolation episode, Delhi police officials have said the woman may have taken that step fearing defamation and other cases being framed against her by the politician. The woman complainant had claimed Rai, police and a judge were colluding to prevent the rape case from going forward.

5. "The authorities have been forcing us since November 2020 to die. We want all of you, the citizens of Uttar Pradesh and the country, to hear this," the woman said in her final Facebook live video.

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