BJP leader among four booked for abduction, rape of 19-yr-old in MP

BHOPAL: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and three others have been booked for allegedly abducting and raping a 19-year-old woman in Shahdol, 592 km east of Bhopal, the police said on Sunday.

“The accused have been identified as BJP’S Jaitpur mandal president Vijay Tripathi, a school teacher, Rajesh Shukla, and two locals, Munna Singh and Monu Maharaj. They abducted the woman on February 18 from near her house, raped her for two days and then threw her off the car near her house on Saturday night,” said superintendent of police, Shahdol, Awadesh Goswami. The woman was rushed to a hospital in Jaitpur by her family from where she was referred to Shahdol district hospital on Sunday afternoon where her condition is stated to be critical. The accused are absconding, said Goswami. “An FIR has been registered against all four accused under sections 363 (abduction) and 376 (d) (gang rape). Police are investigating the matter and trying to nab the accused,” he added.

The survivor’s family has, meanwhile, alleged that the police didn’t take immediate action in the matter and even the

FIR was registered after 15-16 hours.

“The woman was abducted on February 18 night from her house. The family lodged a complaint with Jaitpur police. On Saturday night, the accused threw her off their car and fled the spot,” the woman’s brotherin-law alleged.

“The woman was in an unconscious state. She was admitted to a hospital in Jaitpur. After she gained consciousness, the survivor informed the police about the incident. Rajesh Shukla abducted her and took her to his farmhouse, where she was forced to drink liquor. The four accused, including the BJP leader, then raped her for two days. She identified all the accused as they were known to her and her family members,” he added.

According to the brother-inlaw, the woman was found at 10pm on Saturday near the house and the police registered the FIR around 4pm on Sunday, after the matter caught the attention of media.

The SP, however, refuted the family’s allegations and said the case was registered immediately after completing preliminary investigation. BJP Madhya Pradesh president VD Sharma couldn’t be reached for a comment despite repeated attempts.