Maid murder case: Rape case lodged against BSP MP Dhananjay Singh

According to police,a 42-year-old government employee has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Dhananjay between 2005 and 2009. She told police that she didn’t come forward earlier as Dhananjay had threatened her with dire consequences if she reported the matter to anyone.

Police said Dhananjay has now been booked under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Dhananjay,the BSP MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh,and his wife,who is a dental surgeon at RML Hospital in Delhi,were remanded in judicial custody on Monday after their five-day police custody ended. The two were arrested in connection with the alleged torture of their help leading to her death. Singh faces charges of destruction of evidence.

Dhananjay’s counsel had told the court that the MP’s “only crime” was in being married to co-accused Jagriti. In his bail plea,he said had been “framed”. He claimed that he had separated from his wife due to her “unpredictable and violent behaviour”.

The MP has numerous cases against him in Lucknow and Jaunpur,including those of murder.

At Sikrara police station alone,history sheet number 12 A lists 11 cases against him in 1998.

When UP director general (health) Dr Bachchi Lal was shot dead in 2001,Dhananjay was arrested after the alleged contract killer identified him as the conspirator,but was later acquitted. In 2011,he was arrested over the murders of a contractor and a tea stall owner,and later got bail.

Siddhartha Gupta