Indian lawmaker held on rape charges
NEW DELHI: A lawmaker from India’s opposition Congress party was arrested on Thursday on charges of rape and assault, news agency ANI reported.
Rakesh Rathore, who represents the Sitapur constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in the Indian parliament, was arrested days after a woman accused him of rape and assault.
He has denied the charges but a local court declined to grant him bail, Indian media reported.
“I am confident that I will get justice in the court of the people and court of law,” Rathore told ANI before being led away by police.
Police in Uttar Pradesh registered a case against the lawmaker on Jan 17 after a complaint from a woman who accused Rathore of having sexually assaulted her for four years, the Times of India newspaper reported.
Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2025