Don’t let hate bury truth, pleads Sengar’s daughter

New Delhi: In an open letter posted on social media platform X, Dr Ishita Sengar, daughter of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar — convicted in the 2017 Unnao rape case — expressed deep anguish, fear, and waning faith in the justice system.

The letter, addressed to the “Hon’ble Authorities of the Republic of India,” comes hours after the Supreme Court stayed a Delhi High Court order that had suspended her father’s life sentence and granted him conditional bail. In her letter, Ishita described eight years of silent waiting, trusting institutions over “noise, hashtags, or public anger.” She lamented being reduced to “the daughter of a BJP MLA,” erasing her humanity, and facing daily death and rape threats on social media.

“We chose silence... believing truth does not need spectacle,” she wrote, claiming the family has been dehumanised, financially drained, and ignored despite approaching every authority. Highlighting a “manufactured fear” silencing judges and citizens, Ishita appealed for evidence to be examined “without pressure”, and truth upheld “even when unpopular.”