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Jana Sena MLA booked for sexual assault
JanaSena MLA Arava Sridhar faces allegations of sexual assault by a government employee, prompting an investigation and internal party inquiry.
A case was registered against JanaSena Party MLA Arava Sridhar over alleged sexual assault on a woman government employee last month in Railway Koduru in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district, police said on Wednesday.
Railway Koduru circle inspector Chandrasekhar said that based on a complaint filed by the alleged victim, a case was registered on Tuesday under BNS Sections 318(2) (cheating), 318(4) (dishonestly inducing a person), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).
“The complainant accused Sridhar of deceiving her with promises of marriage and sexually exploiting her. An investigation is currently underway,” he said.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the woman, accompanied by her lawyer, said the police had registered an FIR allegedly under pressure from the state women’s commission. “We have also moved the high court seeking justice and the petition is expected to come up for hearing on Thursday,” she said.
The complainant strongly denied allegations that she had blackmailed the MLA demanding ₹25 crore. “It is a baseless allegation. I only want justice, not money. The MLA has cheated, not only me, but many other women trapping them into extramarital relationships,” she alleged, adding that she would soon release more videos related to the MLA.
The controversy erupted on January 27, when the woman released a video statement alleging that Sridhar, representing Railway Koduru assembly constituency, had sexually exploited her for over a year on the pretext of marriage, forced her to undergo multiple abortions, and subjected her to threats and harassment.
Meanwhile, a three-member committee appointed by JanaSena Party chief and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan questioned the accused MLA on Tuesday to probe the allegations of sexual assault and cheating against him. The committee comprising senior leaders T Shivashankar, Thamballapalli Ramadevi and TC Varun questioned Sridhar at Railway Koduru from 12 noonto 7pm and recorded his version, a JanaSena leader privy to the probe said.
According to the leader, the committee questioned the MLA on the allegations made by the complainant, WhatsApp chat messages allegedly exchanged with her and ground-level developments and the political fallout.
In addition to questioning the MLA, the committee also summoned nearly 40 selected party leaders and active workers from the constituency. The members collected feedback regarding the MLA’s conduct, recent developments, and the impact of the controversy on the party’s image at the grassroots level, the party leader quoted above said.
After the inquiry, Sridhar told the reporters that he had provided complete clarification to the party committee. “I have explained the allegations against me. I will abide by whatever decision the party president makes. I will face the registered cases legally,” Sridhar said.
