E-Paper
Uttrakhand police transfer rape, extortion cases involving BJP MLA to Pauri Garhwal from Dehradun
inspector General of Police (Garhwal range) Abhinav Kumar said both cases were transferred to prevent allegations that police in Dehradun not carrying out a fair and unbiased probe.
In a fresh development in the probe into extortion and rape cases involving BJP MLA from Dwarahat Mahesh Singh Negi, inspector general of police (Garhwal range) Abhinav Kumar on Tuesday transferred both the cases from Dehradun police to mahila thana in Pauri Garhwal district.
The development came a day after the Dehradun police submitted the charge sheet against the 30-year-old woman in the extortion and blackmailing case in which she was accused by Negi’s wife of trying to extort ₹5 crore from him by blackmailing him with a threat to frame him in a rape case. The woman had accused Negi of raping her for several years and fathering her daughter after which Negi and his wife were then booked for rape and criminal intimidation.
“We have transferred both the cases to mahila thana police in Pauri Garhwal district. It has been done to prevent allegations of not doing a fair and unbiased probe in both the cases,” said Kumar.
The senior police officer said that the decision was also a result of a letter written by the Dehradun police to him citing the same aforementioned reason.
“In September I received the letter from Dehradun police requesting the transferring of both the cases to a different district police citing allegations of not doing a fair probe. Apart from this I was also of the opinion that as both the cases are related to one matter, it should be probed by a single police officer unlike two different as was the case in Dehradun,” said Kumar.
On Monday, the Dehradun police had also filed a charge sheet in the court against the woman in extortion and blackmailing case on Monday. But they withdrew it on Tuesday.
“We had withdrawn it following some allegations that the action was to favour the complainant in the case which is not true. The charge sheet will be reviewed by the mahila thana police which will verify the evidence collected,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the opposition Congress accused the BJP government of trying to save Negi following reports of filing of charge sheet against the woman.
“The development just shows that the police is working under the pressure of government by acting in favour of the rape accused MLA Negi,” said Garima Dasauni, Congress spokesperson in Uttarakhand.
“It has also unmasked BJP which has taken no action against Negi so far despite several evidence of him raping the woman at several places. Their slogan of Beti Bachao Beto Padhao is just a farce,” said Dasauni.
The BJP however, refuted the allegations and said there was no pressure on the police by the party or government.
“We have always said that the law will take its own course and BJP will not interfere in it in any way. Whatever the probe results, BJP will accept it. Congress has a tendency to find negativity in everything,” said Devendra Bhasin, BJP state vice-president.
