UP:Court directs cops to file FIR against MLA

Days after the UP Police gave a clean chit to ruling Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Shiv Prasad Yadav, facing allegations of colluding with a rape accused and implicating the victim in a false case, a local court directed the police to lodge an FIR against him and police officers.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohammed Jaigamuddin asked the police to lodge an FIR against the BSP MLA from Bharthana Yadav, inspector Bakewar Rakesh Bharati and incharge of Lakhna outpost J P Bharati for helping a rape accused, victim's counsel Bapu Singh Sengar told reporters.

A woman, who was arrested in December 23 last on charges of provoking her husband to commit suicide, moved an application on January 18 before the court alleging that on December 16 she was raped by Vinod Awasthi, principal of Gyan Sthali owned by the BSP MLA. She further alleged that under pressure from the MLA, her complaint was not lodged and instead she along with her relatives were arrested on false charges. Alleging that she was raped by Awasthi with the consent of her husband, the woman said that she was being harassed for dowry since marriage in June last year.

The court today also directed the police to lodge an FIR against Awasthi and against the victim's father-in-law Omkar Nath Sharma and sister-in-law

Soni for assisting in the rape. The UP police had, however, given a clean chit to Awasthi and BSP MLA Yadav. The woman "was arrested on December 23 on the basis of a complaint filed by Omkar Nath Sharma after her husband committed suicide and a charge sheet had been filed in the court on January 14," Special Director General of Police Brij Lal had said on Sunday last. He had said that her husband Ganesh Shanker committed suicide on December 21 and on the basis of complaint lodged by his father Omkarnath, the woman and four others were arrested.

He said that preliminary inquiry had revealed that Awasthi was in Bharthana on the date on which she claimed she was raped. "That place is 17 kms away from Lakhna where she claimed she was raped," he said. Rejecting involvement of the BSP MLA, Brij Lal had said that nine SIM cards were recovered from the woman's room.

On Janury 13, another BSP MLA Purshottam Dwivedi was arrested in Banda a month after he allegedly raped a 17-year-old dalit girl who was later implicated in a false theft case.