Unnao: As personnel from Makhi police station in Unnao on Saturday evening exhumed for post-mortem the remains of Yunus Khan, the key witness in the rape case involving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the infamous trial took another dramatic turn in Lucknow.

Kin of the CBI witness Khan, who died under mysterious circumstances on August 18, tried to take their lives in front of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s house when they were not allowed to meet him while protesting the digging out of his body from the grave. Hazratganj police detained eight family members.

Khan’s brother Jaan Mohammad had said he had found him dead in the house where he lived alone in Makhi village on the morning of August 18 and buried him without having conducted an autopsy.

Circle Officer, Safipur range, Vivek Ranjan Rai told mediapersons that the body was dug out on the orders of Unnao Superintendent of Police Harish Kumar who has ordered an inquiry into the death of Yunus Khan.

It may be mentioned that rape survivor’s uncle had in his complaint filed with Makhi police on August 20 alleged that MLA Sengar had gotten Yunus killed through his associates.

The complainant also demanded the body be dug out so that the autopsy could be conducted.  

Yunus’s wife, Shabina, and other kin, however, claimed on Saturday that the deceased was suffering from a serious liver disease and had died naturally.

“Yunus’ liver was damaged and (he) was very serious since the last four years,” Shabina told mediapersons in Lucknow, adding that even his doctor had lost hope of his recovery.

She also alleged that survivor’s uncle had barged into her home a couple of days back and offered them money to lie to the police that Yunus was murdered. “He (survivor’s uncle) offered us money and also threatened when we refused his offer of lying. He was coaxing us to say that Yunus was murdered on the behest of Kuldeep Singh Sengar by his associates in the village,” Shabina said.

Yunus, the 32-year-old witness was running a grocery shop near survivor’s house.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the BJP MLA and five of his associates, including brother Atul Singh Sengar were arrested in April last in connection with the rape of the girl and brutally assaulting her father who died under judicial custody on April 9 last. The rape survivor had tried to kill herself in front of the CM’s residence in Lucknow last April when her father was arrested.