Shivering Prajapati asks SSP about his fate
LUCKNOW: Gayatri Prajapati, who had remained a minister with Y-grade security, was shivering when he was surrounded by police personnel after his arrest on Wednesday. He was apprehensive about police’s next move and started questioning Lucknow SSP Manzil Saini about his fate.
“What will happen next? Prajapati asked me when he came face to face with me at Hazratganj police station before being brought in front of media persons,” said the SSP.
Saini replied that he would not be sent to jail as the court had allowed his 14-day judicial custody.
The SSP said Prajapati literally started shivering at the thought of going to jail.
When Prajapati asked whether he would be chargesheeted in the case, the SSP said he would certainly be chargesheeted as the victim woman’s judicial statement was sufficient to charge-sheet an accused in gangrape and attempt to rape cases.
Saini said the former minister, however, refuted all allegations and stated he was ready to undergo narco-analysis test to know the truth in the case.
The SSP said he reiterated that the woman used to visit his place demanding mining contract (patta), but he never allotted her any.
ABOUT THE CASE
The FIR was registered under IPC sections 376-D (gang-rape), 376/511 (rape attempt), 504 (insulting), 506 (criminal intimidation) and section ¾ (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act).
Those named in the FIR are: Gayatri Prajapati, Ashok Tiwari, Pintu Singh, Vikas Verma, Chandrapal, Rupesh and Ashish Shukla.
The victim had alleged that she first met Prajapati in 2013 through Ashok Tiwari when she was assured of being provided a sand mining contract.
She alleged that the minister and his aides raped her after giving her a sedative-laced drink and also clicked her objectionable photographs.
She was gang-raped multiple times and threatened that the photographs would be uploaded on social media.
The victim reported the matter to the police when the minister and his aides allegedly attempted to rape her minor daughter.
The girl’s mother was allegedly gang-raped first in October 2013 and the crime was repeated till July 2016.
In October 2016, the woman wrote to the state’s police chief, after the perpetrators allegedly tried to rape her daughter, seeking action against them.
When her complaint went unheeded, she moved the Supreme Court.