Simdega (Jharkhand), Nov 14 Hours after an FIR was registered against Congress MLA Bhushan Bara on the charge of raping his minor domestic help, police said on Saturday that they booked two persons for allegedly abducting and coercing the girl into making a “false” statement against the legislator.
The Congress is a constituent of the state’s ruling JMM-led coalition.
The girl’s grandfather lodged a complaint at Patratanr police station in Simdega district on Friday, naming two men who allegedly abducted the 15-year-old girl three days ago and pressured her into making a false statement of rape against the two-time MLA, Simdega SP Shrikant S Khotre said.
“We have booked both the accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act,” Khotre told PTI.
One of the two men is a content creator associated with a YouTube channel.
The police officer said the case is being investigated and further action would be taken based on the evidence gathered against the accused.
The girl, a resident of Simdega district, had alleged that Bara had raped her at his residence on August 5, following which she became pregnant. She also claimed that she later learnt during a medical examination that she suffered a miscarriage.
The girl told reporters that she was brought to Ranchi by the MLA’s family in May on the promise of being enrolled in a school, but was instead made to do domestic work at his official residence.
Following this, the police registered an FIR against the legislator under the POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Act at the Dhurwa police station in Ranchi.
Bara, a two-term MLA, denied the allegations on Friday, calling them “completely false and misleading”.
He claimed the case was fabricated by people expelled from the Congress.
“Everything will be clear after investigation,” he said, questioning why the girl had not filed a complaint immediately after the alleged incident.
The opposition BJP on Friday demanded the MLA’s immediate arrest, alleging that women were unsafe under the JMM-led government in the state.
(PTI News)
