BJP MLA faces rape charge, victim attempts self-immolation in Uttar Pradesh

In a major embarrassment for the BJP, a woman, who accused a saffron party MLA of raping her, attempted self-immolation near Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's official residence here on Sunday, in protest against the failure of police to act against the lawmaker.

According to police sources here, the victim, a residence of the state's Unnao district, about 60 km from here, was prevented from setting herself ablaze by alert cops in the nick of time.

The victim and her family then embarked on a dharna outside the police outpost seeking justice and demanding the MLA's arrest.

The police managed to persuade them to call off their dharna after assuring them of a meeting with senior officers.

The woman accused Kuldeep Senger, BJP MLA from Bangarmau Assembly constituency in Unnao, and his goons of gang-raping her.

"The MLA threatened me with dire consequences if I approached the police," she said while speaking to reporters here.

She said that she came to the state capital to commit self-immolation after the Unnao Police failed to take any action on her complaint against the BJP legislator.

Additional Director General of Police Rajiv Krishna, who met the victim and her family members, said that the Unnao police chief had been directed to conduct a thorough probe into the matter and ensure stern action against the guilty.

Senger, however, refuted the charges and termed them a "political conspiracy" hatched against him by his opponents to tarnish his image.

"I am ready for any probe," he said.