BSP MLA arrested in Dalit girl rape case

Lucknow, Jan 13 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi, who has been accused of raping a minor Dalit girl, in Banda constituency on Thursday.

According to reports, the police took the MLA into its custody, when he was heading towards the court.

The Mayawati Government had on Wednesday ordered the arrest of Dwivedi in the alleged rape case following which he had gone missing.ayawati had earlier summoned officials of the Crime Branch and Crime Investigation Department (CID), who are investigating this case.

"On the directive of the Chief Minister, a case of rape has been registered against the MLA and his three aides. Mayawati had also issued orders for immediate arrest of the legislator and three others. The action followed soon after the CB-CID submitted its preliminary report, which found Dwiwedi and his three associates guilty," State Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters.

The investigating officials that conducted the preliminary inquiry in the case found that Dwivedi had raped the teenager and framed her in a false theft case.

The girl is still reported to be behind the bars.

The 17-year-old girl belonging to the backward community, who appeared before civil judge junior division Ravi Kumar Gupta had alleged in her statement that Dwivedi raped her twice while his aides teased her.

She had also given a similar statement to a three-member team of National Commission of Women (NCW). (ANI)