SP national spokesperson sent to 7-day judicial custody in rape case

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party national spokesperson Manoj Yadav was on Friday remanded to 7-day judicial custody in connection with a rape, molestation and assault case registered at Safdarganj police station in Barabanki.Yadav, who was earlier reported missing from Lucknow's Gomtinagar area, was produced before additional district judge Nitish Rai amid heavy police security at around 10.30 am. The court remanded him to 7-day judicial custody under charges including rape, assault, molestation and relevant sections of the SC/ST Act.
Originally a resident of Bhagalepurwa village in Barabanki, Yadav currently resides with his wife in Lucknow. Safdarganj SHO Amar Chaurasia said an FIR was lodged on Feb 11 based on a complaint filed by a woman from Scheduled Caste. The woman alleged that in 2004 her husband filed a case against Yadav for trespassing and assault. She claimed that due to that enmity, Yadav stopped her at Safdarganj crossing about 3 months ago, used caste-based slurs, held her hand and threatened her. The complainant further alleged that her son, who works as a driver in Lucknow, was also targeted. She claimed that Yadav assaulted her son on multiple occasions and threatened to kill him. In her recorded statement, the woman additionally accused Yadav of inappropriate physical contact, including molestation. Based on these allegations, police added rape charges to the case. In a related development, Yadav's wife approached Gomti Nagar Extension police station in Lucknow on Thursday night to file a missing person complaint. In her application, she said her husband left home in the evening with his cousin to attend a function in Hasemau under BBD police station limits. They were also scheduled to attend two other events. According to the complaint, at around 9:40 pm, Yadav made a video call to her, which she could not answer at the time. When she later attempted to call back, one of his 2 mobile phones was switched off while the other rang without a response. She further said enquiries with relatives revealed that he left a wedding ceremony in Ilhanganj under Kakori police station limits at around 9:30pm in his car. His whereabouts were unknown thereafter, prompting her to file the report. However, police didn't clarify the sequence of events between the missing complaint and his subsequent arrest and said further probe was on.