Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA booked for sexual assault on wife’s complaint: Police

Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Umang Singhar was booked on Monday on charges of sexually assaulting, and physically and mentally harassing his wife in Dhar district, police said.

Published on: Nov 22, 2022, 24:17:49 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Umang Singhar was booked on Monday on charges of sexually assaulting, and physically and mentally harassing his wife in Dhar district, police said. The Congress leader, however, denied the charges and accused the woman of blackmailing him.

Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Umang Singhar has been booked on charges of sexually assaulting, and physically and mentally harassing his wife in Dhar district.

In a First Information Report (FIR) lodged on Sunday night at Naugaon police station, the complainant alleged: “Umang Singhar entered into a physical relationship with me on the pretext of marriage, but later refused to marry me. When I confronted him, he solemnised the marriage on April 16. Soon after, he started torturing me and raped me several times. He used to assault me physically and mentally and threatened me with dire consequences. Singhar also blackmailed me by making my obscene videos.”

She added: “He beat me up on October 27 and tried to rape me too. I managed to call the Dhar police, but he asked the police to go without action, saying it was a personal matter.”

The MLA from Gandhwani in Dhar district has been booked under sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 498 a (domestic violence) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), said Dhar SP Aditya Pratap Singh. “We are investigating the matter and why police did not act on November 2 as alleged by the complainant,” he added.

Singhar said it was a conspiracy to malign his image. “The woman was blackmailing me for ₹10 crore and threatening to defame me. I filed a complaint but police filed a counter complaint against me,” he said.

The SP denied receiving any such application.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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