BSP MP acquitted in rape case; complainant had committed self-immolation outside SC

BSP Lok Sabha member from Ghosi parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district, about 350 kilometres from here, Atul Rai was on Saturday acquitted by a district court in Varanasi in a case of rape registered against him three years back.

Special judge Siyaram Chaurasia of the MP-MLA court, which pronounced its judgement on Saturday, cast doubt on the authenticity of the statement of the victim and said that the latter failed to prove her case.

The victim had alleged that Rai was known to her and had raped her after calling her at his flat in Varanasi in March 2018 on the pretext of getting her to meet his wife. She alleged that Rai had also made a video of the sexual assault and thereafter raped her several times threatening to make the video public.

Rai had surrendered before the court after registration of the case in 2019 and was in the Prayagraj jail since then.

The victim and her friend had set themselves afire in August 2021 before the supreme court and had done a Facebook live video saying that she did not expect justice in the case. Both of them died in the hospital during treatment a few days later.

The victim had also accused several senior police officials of helping Rai in the matter. Former IPS officer Amitabha Thakur was arrested after he was charged with instigating the victim to kill herself. Another IPS officer and three other police officials were suspended in the matter after the victim accused them of being in hand and gloves with Rai.

Rai, however, may not immediately come out of jail as he was also charged with criminal conspiracy in the same case and had not been granted bail in the matter.