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Uttar
Pradesh girl was raped by legislator, his guards
Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) legislator Purshottam Dwivedi and his two security
guards had raped a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Banda
district, a preliminary report by the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID)
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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh's ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Purshottam
Naresh Dwivedi was arrested in Banda Thursday on charges of raping
and illegally confining a minor, top officials said.
Dwivedi represents the ruling party from Banda, 180 km from here,
officials said.
The 17-year-old victim, who belongs to the other backward classes
(OBC), accused Dwivedi and his henchmen of not only subjecting her
to gang-rape but also using his influence to falsely implicate her
in a theft case.
Ironically, she is currently in Banda jail after Dwivedi accused
her of stealing his licensed revolver, a mobile and Rs.5,000 from
his house.
Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member Brinda Karat
said in New Delhi that the teen's detention was "an outrageous
mockery" of the judicial process.
Chief Minister Mayawati had Wednesday ordered the arrest of her
party legislator after the preliminary report submitted by the
crime branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
confirmed that the teen was gang-raped.
"A case has already been registered against the MLA and his three
henchmen, Rajendra Shukla, Surendra Neta and Ravan Garg and orders
have been issued for their immediate arrest," state Cabinet
Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said at a press conference here
Wednesday.
His three associates were arrested Wednesday evening.
"As per the preliminary report submitted by CID, the girl was kept
under illegal confinement for four days Dec 8-12, 2010. However,
there was no sexual assault on her for the first three days, but
on the night of Dec 11 and 12, she was raped twice, not only by
the MLA but also by his cohorts," Singh added.
"The preliminary report has also found the girl guilty of
committing a theft of Rs.5,000 from the house of the MLA, from
where she also took away his daughter-in-law's mobile phone."
Dwivedi's arrest followed a 24-hour cat-and-mouse drama between
him and police.
Though the cabinet secretary said Wednesday evening that the
legislator would be behind bars "within the next few minutes",
senior officials said Thursday that he was absconding and they
were unable to track him down.
Sources said Dwivedi had arrived here Tuesday afternoon and had
even called on Mayawati's trusted lieutenant and powerful
multi-portfolio cabinet minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who also
hails from Banda district.
Dwivedi is also believed to have spoken to some journalists
Wednesday. He returned to Banda Thursday afternoon where he was
arrested.
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