FIR Filed After Woman Claims BJP MLA & His Family Repeatedly Raped Her During 2017 UP Assembly Polls

Lucknow: An FIR was registered on Wednesday against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Ravindranath Tripathi and six others for allegedly raping a woman repeatedly for a month in 2017.

The 40-year-old woman, who is a widow, had lodged a complaint on February 10, said the police.

According to the complaint, Tripathi's nephew, Sandeep Tiwari, confined her to a hotel room in Bhadohi for a month during the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, where she was repeatedly raped by the MLA and his family members. The case has been transferred to the Additional Superintendent of Police of Bhadohi district and further investigation is underway.

Speaking to reporters, Bhadohi Superintendent of Police Ram Badan Singh said the woman claimed she did not lodge a complaint back then as Tiwari had promised to marry her.

The woman alleged that in the run-up to the 2017 polls, Tiwari kept her at a hotel for a month. All the seven accused would visit and repeatedly rape her, the officer said. She also claimed she got pregnant and was forced to undergo an abortion, he added.

"The woman also alleged being raped by the MLA and his few family members. She had given a written complaint in this regard a few days back and today we have registered an FIR in the case," said Singh. "A team has been set up to investigate the allegations. A case has been registered against all who were named in the complaint."

Singh added that the woman's statement will be recorded before a magistrate and further action will be taken in the matter as per law.

Tripathi, meanwhile, dismissed the rape allegations, saying he had no information in this regard.

"If someone has submitted an application, it is a matter of investigation," he said. "The SP and the Bhadohi District Magistrate have taken cognizance and an investigation is underway. I want to say that even if prima facie allegations are proved correct, my family and I are ready to be hanged."

Tripathi claimed he has been fighting against the land mafia and criminals of the region, claiming Gyanpur lawmaker Vijay Mishra, who has 78 criminal cases registered against him, is behind the allegations.

"The allegations against me are totally baseless and false; if any such act was done during the elections, why wasn’t it raised then?" he asked.