Woman levels rape charge against rebel JJP MLA Surjakhera, he dubs it conspiracy before election

Chandigarh: A woman has levelled the charge of rape against Ram Niwas Surjakhera, a rebel JJP MLA in Haryana who recently resigned from the Assembly, with police in Jind lodging a case against the lawmaker.

Surjakhera has dismissed the allegation as part of "conspiracies" against him ahead of the October 1 Haryana Assembly polls.

Police on Thursday said they have registered a case of rape under the relevant legal provisions and launched a probe.

The allegations levelled by the 28-year-old woman pertain to an incident in 2021, they said.

The woman has accused the legislator of exploiting and raping her following a false assurance of securing a government job for her.

Acting on her complaint, police lodged the case on Wednesday.

Jind Superintendent of Police (SP) Sumit Kumar said over the phone that a case of rape has been lodged on the basis of the woman's complaint and a probe launched.

In a post in Hindi on X, Surjakhera said he has come to know from sources about the registration of a "false FIR of rape" against him at the behest of "some anti-social elements".

"I had never thought that politics will stoop so low. To weaken me under conspiracies just before the Assembly election is unfortunate.... I am ready to face each 'Agnipariksha'.... My appeal is that an impartial probe should be conducted and I am ready to cooperate," he said.

Surjakhera resigned from the state Assembly as the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) MLA from Narwana on August 22. He had openly supported the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently-held Lok Sabha polls.

After tendering his resignation from the Assembly, Surjakhera had claimed that he and three other legislators will be joining the BJP in the next few days.