BJP Councillor’s husband, accused of raping woman, held in MP’s Satna

Satna (MP), Dec 29 (IANS) A BJP Councillor’s husband, who was accused of raping a woman at knifepoint, has been arrested, a senior police officer in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district said on Monday.

Police said the accused, Ashok Singh, the husband of a BJP councillor in the Rampur Baghelan Nagar Parishad, was arrested late Sunday night, and he has been booked under various charges, including criminal intimidation and obscene acts.

“A video surfaced on social media in which a person was seen threatening the victim. The victim also filed a written complaint against the person. Following the investigation, we have arrested the accused and further investigation is underway,” Satna rural ASP Premlal Kurve told IANS on Monday.

The accused Ashok Singh has been booked under sections 74, 75, 79, 296A, and 351(3) of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita). “An investigation was initiated based on a complaint filed against him at Rampur Baghelan police station,” ASP Kurve added.

The action in the case came after a video purportedly showing Ashok Singh abusing a police officer and threatening the survivor went viral on social media, prompting police to take prompt action in the matter.

In the viral clip, the accused is allegedly heard saying, “What will happen to me? Nothing will happen. Complain wherever you want, nothing will happen to me,” while the woman can be heard crying in the background and talking about filing a complaint.

The alleged rape survivor had filed a written complaint, accusing Singh of raping her at knifepoint, making a video of the act, and later threatening her with it to force her into repeated sexual relations.

In her complaint submitted to Satna SP Hansraj Singh a week back, the survivor alleged that when she confronted him on camera, saying she would post the video of their interaction on social media, the man brazenly said nothing would happen to him.

As per the complaint, the alleged crime took place about six months ago, and she had remained silent due to threats to her life and family.

According to the survivor, Ashok Singh, a resident of Karhi, entered her house, raped her at knifepoint, recorded the act on his mobile phone, and threatened to kill her and her family members if she spoke about the incident.

The survivor said Singh regularly comes to her shop, abuses her verbally, and repeats his threats, creating an atmosphere of fear and harassment.

pd/uk