Abdul Wasim Ansari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: Even before the judicial process could run its course, the house of Shafiq Ansari, a former leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh was demolished on mere accusation of his involved in a rape case that later turned out to be false.
A resident of Sarangpur, Shafiq, along with his two sons, Mohammad Ehsan and Iqbal, endured immense humiliation when the charges were levelled against them. Following a lengthy legal battle, the District and Sessions Court acquitted all three on February 14, 2025, declaring that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges.
Their property, worth an estimated Rs 2 crores, was torn down based on allegations – exposing the devastating consequences of an overzealous and unlawful move by the authorities.
The case dates back to March 14, 2021, when a local woman filed a complaint at the Sarangpur police station in Rajgarh district. The victim claimed that on February 14, 2021, she went to Shafiq’s house seeking help for her son’s wedding. She alleged that he raped her and threatened to kill her. Based on her complaint, an FIR was filed against Shafiq under sections 342 (WrongfulA confinement), 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Speaking to TwoCircles.net after their acquittals, Shafiq said he remained determined to prove his innocence. “I stayed in constant touch with the then SP and local police officials, who assured me that the FIR would be thoroughly investigated before any further action was taken,” he said.
Soon after, he said, the entire police station in question, including the Additional SP of the district, was replaced in compliance of an order of the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court – which was hearing a similar case.
“Upon hearing this, the then station in-charge, Virendra Dhakad, called and told me, ‘There has been an incident; now our jobs are at stake. We cannot help you anymore,'” said Shafiq. The then SP, Pradeep Sharma, he said, reiterated the same, advising him to seek bail from the court.
Shafiq said that despite trying to get anticipatory bail from the High Court and even the Supreme Court, his applications were rejected. After these rejections, he lost hope and decided to surrender.
Before surrendering, Shafiq filed a written complaint to the Director General of Police (DGP) in Bhopal on March 7, 2022. In his complaint, he questioned the Rajgarh police’s conduct and leveled serious allegations against the SP for influencing the investigation.
According to Shafiq, everything was fine until he filed the complaint. While he was in hiding, he continued to stay in touch with the police and the SP, but once the complaint was filed, the entire situation changed. On the morning of February 13, 2022, the police and local administration arrived at his house to demolish it.
He said the day his house was demolished, he spoke to then SP, Pradeep Sharma, who said, “I can’t do anything; it is an order from above.” His house was demolished illegally, even though Shafiq had a land document from 2013 proving its legality. The land certificate he provided for his house was registered in the name of his wife, Shakeela B, though it was not allegedly verified before taking the extreme action.
Shafiq’s sons were accused of helping their father despite knowing he was charged with rape and obstructing the police’s work. They too were arrested and spent around five days in jail.
“The woman who accused me of rape had illegally constructed a house where illegal activities were taking place, which was troubling the entire neighborhood. As a public representative, people came to me with complaints about her. On January 14, 2021, I filed a complaint about her to the collector, the chief minister and the commissioner. An investigation was ordered, and it was found that the construction was illegal, which was removed on February 5, 2021,” he said, describing his anguish.
Thirty days after her house was razed to the ground, the woman accused Shafiq of rape. However, he pointed out that his house had a joint family living there, and on the day the accusation was made, he was in Bhopal. The woman herself admitted in court that she was not in Sarangpur that night.
Shafiq recalled that when the FIR was filed, he was summoned to the police station, where he provided the police with the full sequence of events regarding the demolition of the woman’s house. He said he was assured that the matter would be closed after proper investigation. He also mentioned that for the next five months, he was never harassed because the police knew the case was fabricated.
“However, after filing the complaint with the DGP, my house was declared illegal and demolished on March 13, 2022. Even after the demolition, the harassment did not stop. On March 14, 2022, my other relatives were also harassed. Police and municipal corporation vehicles were seen heading toward my factories. Upon learning this, I contacted the then-SDOP (Sub-Divisional Officer of Police), Joyce Das, and told her that I was surrendering. She asked me to come,” he narrated.
On March 14, 2022, around 3 PM, Shafiq left Bhopal and reached SDOP’s office by 6-7 PM, where Das was waiting for him. “I was formally arrested,” he said. He was taken for a medical check-up and spent the night at the police station. The next day, he was presented in court and sent to judicial custody. After spending around 3 months and 5 days in jail, he was granted bail by the High Court in June.
Shafiq said his wife contested the municipal elections as an independent candidate while he was in jail. Due to the incident, neither of the major political parties offered her a ticket. Shafiq was the district president of the BJP Minority Morcha. He said though an FIR was filed against him and subsequently his house was brought down, he was not expelled from the party. After his wife won the election, he left the BJP and joined the Congress.
Regarding the 482 CrPC petition filed in court, Shafiq explained that the High Court had directed them to submit the documents to the Rajgarh SP for investigation. However, the police allegedly never investigated his case. “The SDOP told me, ‘We cannot do anything. We will write the report based on what the SP says,'” he alleged, adding, “My house was not illegal, yet without any notice, they demolished it.”
Shafiq claimed the police initially maintained that the case was false and assured him that it would be probed thoroughly. However, it allegedly did not happen. The cops failed to present the investigation report, despite the fact that his records showed he was innocent. Shafiq’s lawyer is now preparing to take the demolition case to court.
Shafiq’s councel, OP Vijayvargiya, told TwoCircles.net that the criminal case against his client involved Section 376 of the IPC, with the woman filing a false report. “The woman revenged the demolition of her house,” he said. The lawyer also mentioned that the FIR was delayed by a month and that the woman’s presence at the time of the alleged incident was doubtful. In addition, the woman had filed a complaint with the DIG two days before the FIR, which contradicted her claims. Based on this, Shafiq was acquitted, and his sons were also cleared of the charges.
Vijayvargiya too alleged that the High Court had instructed the SP to conduct a detailed investigation into the case, but the required probe was not carried out. This led to the case being filed and the charges being pursued. Shafiq was not arrested for almost a year, and during this period, the police and municipality took the decision to demolish his house.
After nearly four years of proceedings, the court finally delivered its verdict on February 14, 2025, stating that the prosecution had completely failed to prove that Shafiq had raped the victim at her home, and that his sons, Iqbal and Mohammad Ehsan, helped him despite knowing about the charges. Therefore, they were all acquitted.
Shafiq said since the accusations and the FIR, his family endured harassment. They are now preparing to seek compensation in court for the demolition of his house.