LJP MP Prince Paswan booked for rape

LJP MP Prince Raj, estranged cousin of Chirag Paswan, has been booked on rape charges in New Delhi following a direction by a court on a complaint filed three months ago.

The complainant is a party worker, who said that the sexual assault took place in 2020. The name of Chirag Paswan, son of late Ram Vilas Paswan who leads a faction of the LJP, is also mentioned in the FIR with the victim claiming that he Chirag pressurised her not to file the complaint.

Police said the case has been registered at the Connaught Place Police Station in the national capital following a court's direction on September 9.

Meanwhile, Prince Raj moved a Delhi court seeking protection from arrest in the rape case. The anticipatory bail application is likely to come up for hearing before Special Judge M K Nagpal on Thursday.

Prince Raj in his application alleged that the victim and her male friend were extorting money and blackmailing him and a case had already been filed in that regard earlier, in which the woman and her associate were granted anticipatory bail.

Defending Prince Raj, LJP spokesperson Shravan Kumar said the allegations were a "political conspiracy" to malign the MP. He said the MP had lodged a complaint of "extortion and blackmailing" with Delhi Police on February 10 against the woman.

Kumar said the police should swiftly probe the case lodged by the Samartipur MP and said cases of "honey trapping" also frequently happen.

Earlier, Chirag had said that he asked both Prince Raj and the woman to pursue the matter with police when the issue was brought before him.

Prince Raj has aligned with their uncle and Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras as the LJP split.

Police said the woman has claimed in her complaint that she met Prince Raj first at the party office. They met on many occasions later and at one such meeting, the accused allegedly gave her something to drink following which she became unconscious and he made physical relations with her, police said quoting the complaint.

When confronted, the woman claimed Prince Raj showed her a video recorded by him.

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