E-Paper
Former Bishnoi mahasabha chief arrested in rape case, denies charges as ‘conspiracy’
According to police officials, Bishnoi had been absconding after being accused of repeatedly raping a 20-year-old woman under the pretext of helping her go abroad for higher education.
The Haryana State Crime Branch on Sunday arrested former Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha president Devendra Bishnoi, also known as Budia, from Jodhpur, Rajasthan—five months after he was booked in a rape case filed in Hisar district.
According to police officials, Bishnoi had been absconding after being accused of repeatedly raping a 20-year-old woman under the pretext of helping her go abroad for higher education.
Contrary to Bishnoi’s claim on social media that he voluntarily appeared before the investigating officer to “foil a conspiracy” against him, inspector Pawan Kumar of the State Crime Branch confirmed that the accused was arrested and had not surrendered.
“We will produce him before a Hisar court on Monday and seek his remand to further investigate the allegations,” Kumar said.
The allegations
In her complaint filed on January 24 with Adampur police, the woman alleged that in 2023 her father introduced her to Devendra Bishnoi during a meeting in Adampur. Bishnoi, then heading the Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha, promised to sponsor her education abroad and advised her father to send her to Chandigarh for IELTS coaching.
She said that in February 2024, Bishnoi called her to the Hyatt Hotel in Chandigarh, where he allegedly spiked her drink and raped her. He also recorded a video of the assault. When she resisted, Bishnoi allegedly threatened to frame her in a false prostitution case if she told anyone.
After she failed to achieve the required six bands in the IELTS exam, she returned home. However, Bishnoi remained in touch with her father and soon advised sending her to Jaipur for another attempt at IELTS. He reportedly enrolled her in a coaching centre there and, in August 2024, his personal assistant Gaurav allegedly took her to a flat in the Civil Lines area, where Bishnoi raped her again in August and September.
She alleged that Bishnoi threatened to kill her family if she objected. He also promised to make her a “star,” claiming connections with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Even after she returned home from Jaipur in November, she said Bishnoi continued to harass her over the phone.
Eventually, she confided in her family, following which a police case was registered.
Based on her complaint, Devendra Bishnoi, a resident of Jodhpur, was booked under Section 342 of the Indian Penal Code (wrongful confinement), Section 354 (assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 354D (stalking), Section 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), and Section 506 (criminal intimidation).
