Rajasthan BJP MLA booked for raping Neemuch woman on pretext of marriage

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Rajasthan MLA from Gogunda, Prataplal Bheel has been booked on Friday for allegedly raping a 35-year-old woman on pretext of marriage, said police.

The complainant, from Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, has accused the 56-year-old leader of enticing her into a physical relationship by falsely promising marriage. The MLA said he was not aware of the case registered against him.

“Some years-ago, I had met Bheel in a social function held in Neemuch, where he was a guest; after which we became acquaintances and confided in each other about our dissatisfactory relationship with our partners. Gradually, we became good friends before the MLA proposed me with marriage, which I refused. But he continued to repeat his proposal on several occasion, which I finally accepted on the condition that he will take permission from his family members,” reads the complainant’s statement.

The complainant claimed that the MLA told her that he had parted ways with his first wife with her consent in the presence of community heads.

“Further, we kept meeting in Neemuch and Udaipur in the last two years. On November 8, 2020, the MLA called me to say he had managed to convince his family members. After which, I reached an apartment in Udaipur, where he developed physical relations with me promising marriage. After that incident, he stopped picking my calls and gradually started avoiding me,” the woman said in the statement.

She further alleged to have been spurned by the MLA’s wife in the month of January, when she phoned the MLA. After this incident, the woman says, she realised that she had been “fooled”.

Udaipur superintendent of police (SP) Rajeev Pachar said a case has been registered against the MLA under section 376 (rape) of IPC. “The statements of the complainant have been recorded and videography of the spot has been done. Medical test of the victim has been done too,” he said.

The Udaipur SP added that since the case is related to an MLA, the investigation has been transferred to the crime branch.

“I have no idea about the case. I cannot make any comments,” said Gogunda MLA.