In more embarrassment to ruling Congress in poll-bound Rajasthan, a party MLA from the state was today booked for sexual assault just two days after a minister was forced to resign over allegations of rape.
Udai Lal Anjana, MLA from Nimbahera in Chittorgarh district, was booked for allegedly sexually exploiting a nearly 50-year-old woman since 1984 on the pretext of marriage and forcing her to undergo abortion, charges which he denied.
The case was registered against the MLA in Mundwa following an order by a local court in Nagaur district, Station House Officer (Mundwa) Hari Narayan Meena said.
The woman, a resident of Mundwa, had approached the court seeking a case to be registered against Anjana.
Following the court's direction, Anjana was booked under section 376 (rape), 313 (to force abortion against the will of woman), 370 (illegal confinement), 384 (threatening life) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.
The case has been transferred to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) crime branch since it is related to a legislator of the state, Meena said.
Anjana has denied the allegations and claimed that the charges were baseless and were part of a political conspiracy.
He claimed that the woman had made similar accusations in 2000 and said they had been proven wrong by various agencies.
"The woman has made these accusations several times before and they have been proven wrong by various agencies including police, CID crime branch, human rights and women organisations," he claimed.
On September 19, Babulal Nagar, who was Minister of State for Dairy and Khadi in the Ashok Gehlot government, had to resign after a woman alleged that she was raped by him.
The 35-year-old woman had alleged that Nagar, who had helped her in the past, called her to his house on September 11, promising to get her a job. On some pretext, the minister took her into a bedroom and raped her, she alleged.
Nagar's resignation was accepted yesterday. The former minister has, however, denied the rape charge and accused his political rival of implicating him in a false case.
