BJP MLA among 16 booked for gang rape, fraud in UP's Badaun after court order

Budaun police register rape and fraud case against BJP MLA Harish Shakya and 15 others following court order.

Following an MP/MLA special court order, the Civil Lines police station in Uttar Pradesh's Budaun on Saturday registered a case of rape and fraud against 16 individuals, including BJP MLA from Bilsi Harish Shakya, his brother, nephew, and several businessmen, officials said.

The Civil Lines police station in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, filed a rape and fraud complaint against 16 people on Saturday in response to an MP/MLA special court order. The defendants include BJP MLA from Bilsi Harish Shakya, his brother, nephew, and many businesspeople.(PTI)

The charges include gang rape, fraud worth crores, and implicating the complainant in false cases, police said.

Additional chief judicial magistrate and special judge of MP/MLA court, Leelu Chaudhary, issued the order on December 11 following a complaint lodged by a villager alleging a gang led by Shakya was extorting him and his family members through coercion and threats.

The dispute revolves around a prime piece of land owned by the villager. The BJP MLA and his associates allegedly pressured the complainant and his family to sell the land at an undervalued price.

As per the complaint, when the family resisted, they faced a series of retaliatory actions, including implication in false cases of murder and rape, along with coercion and threats by the accused.

The complainant also alleged that the MLA and two of his aides gang raped his wife at his camp office on September 17.

Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh confirmed that in compliance with the court order, the Civil Lines police station on Saturday registered a case against 16 persons, including Shakya and his accountant brother Satyendra Singh Shakya, under the relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

"The court has been informed. Inspector Manoj Kumar Singh, in-charge of Civil Lines police station, will lead the probe," the officer said.

The MLA could not be reached for his comment.