By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Purshottam Naresh Dwivedi, accused of being involved in the gang-rape and illegal confinement of a minor girl in Banda last month, surrendered before a court Thursday, top officials said.
Dwivedi, who represents the ruling party from Banda, 180 km from here, surrendered before the court of the judicial magistrate in Banda, officials said.
The 17-year-old victim accused Dwivedi and his henchmen of not only subjecting her to gang-rape but also using his influence to falsely implicate her in a theft case.
Ironically, she is currently in Banda jail after Dwivedi accused her of stealing his licensed revolver, a mobile and Rs.5,000 from his house.
Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member Brinda Karat said in New Delhi that the teen’s detention was “an outrageous mockery” of justice.
Chief Minister Mayawati had Wednesday ordered the arrest of her party legislator after the preliminary report submitted by the crime branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) confirmed that the teen was gang-raped.
“A case has already been registered against the MLA and his three henchmen, Rajendra Shukla, Surendra Neta and Ravan Garg and orders have been issued for their immediate arrest,” state Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said at a press conference here Wednesday.
“As per the preliminary report submitted by CID, the girl was kept under illegal confinement for four days Dec 8-12, 2010. However, there was no sexual assault on her for the first three days, but on the night of Dec 11 and 12, she was raped twice, not only by the MLA but also by his cohorts,” Singh added.
“The preliminary report has also found the girl guilty of committing a theft of Rs.5,000 from the house of the MLA, from where she also took away his daughter-in-law’s mobile phone.”