In a recent development, five police personnel, including a sub-inspector, have faced suspension, and 14 others have been reassigned to police duties after allegations of negligence in a high-profile rape and murder case involving a local BJP leader. The accused BJP leader, Masoom Raza Rahi, who serves as the district president of the BJP's minority morcha, is currently on the run.
Superintendent of Police Dr. Kaustubh has stated that the suspension stems from the alleged negligence and mishandling of the case by police outpost in-charge Sadar Praveen Singh, as well as constables Abid Ali, Akhilesh Yadav, Akhilesh Chaudhary, and Priyanka Singh. Additionally, 14 other officers, including the Station House Officer (SHO), have been relegated to police line duty in connection with the same case, PTI reported.
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The incident dates back to September 5 when a case was registered against Rahi, accusing him of the rape of a 17-year-old Dalit girl and the subsequent killing of her father. Initially detained following the filing of the FIR, the accused was released after the victim retracted her rape allegations in a statement given before a magistrate on September 6.
Despite the victim's change in statement, Rahi has been evading the authorities since September 7. The charges against him, which include murder, remain under investigation, and a dedicated police team has been formed to apprehend the fugitive BJP leader.
According to the complainant, the girl alleges that on August 28, Rahi sexually assaulted her, and when her father, Raju, attempted to intervene, he was brutally attacked by the accused, resulting in grievous injuries that ultimately led to his demise during medical treatment. The complainant also revealed that following her mother's passing, she, along with her father, three sisters, and younger brother, had been living as tenants in Rahi's residence.
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The FIR lodged against the BJP leader encompasses multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including those related to rape, murder, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty, house trespass, voluntarily causing harm, insulting with the intent to provoke a breach of peace, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, charges have been filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
