E-Paper
Hisar police file challan against ex-Bishnoi mahasabha chief in rape case
On June 30, he was arrested from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur on a complaint filed by a 20-year-old from Adampur
Hisar police have submitted a chargesheet against former Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha president Devendra Bishnoi for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman under the pretext of helping her to go abroad for higher education.
On June 30, he was arrested from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur on a complaint filed by a 20-year-old from Adampur. The complaint was filed on January 24 this year. According to police officials, a chargesheet of over 1,900 pages was submitted in the court and a copy of the chargesheet will be handed over to Bishnoi on his next hearing, fixed on September 10.
The police officials said that they have collected evidence pertaining to the case and mobile data were retrieved from the complainant and Bishnoi’s phone.
In her complaint, the woman alleged that in 2023 her father introduced her to Devendra Bishnoi during a meeting in Adampur. Bishnoi, who was 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 the act. He also threatened her to frame her in 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. 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 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).
