LJP MP Prince booked on rape charges

PATNA/SAMASTIPUR: LJP MP from Samastipur,

Prince Raj

, has been booked on the charges of rape, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. An FIR was lodged against him with Delhi's Connaught Place police station on the directions of a local court on September 9 after three months of a complaint submitted to the police by the victim. The FIR also mentions the name of Prince’s cousin and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan.

Chirag has been booked for hatching a conspiracy to delay action against his cousin. The FIR has been lodged under Sections 376, 376 (2) (k), 201 and 120 of IPC by a former party functionary.

Advocate Sudesh Kumari Jethwa, appearing for the complainant, said, “We had lodged a complaint with the Delhi police in July. But the FIR was registered against the accused after the court directed the police to do so.”

On June 17, Prince, through a tweet, had denied the allegation. “I categorically deny any such claim or assertion that has been made against me. All such claims are blatantly false, fabricated, and part of a larger criminal conspiracy to pressurise me professionally and personally by threatening my reputation,” he had tweeted.

The woman alleged that she had met Prince several times and in one such meeting, she picked up a water bottle from the table, but the MP said he would give her another bottle from inside. “After consuming it, I fell unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I found my head on his shoulder. He told me I was unwell and then I returned home. Later, he showed me a video recorded by him. He was making physical relations with me but my face was not visible in the video,” she alleged in her complaint.

The complainant claimed that Prince proposed to marry her or he would put the video online. “I was scared and then he started visiting my house at odd hours for a physical relationship. I informed the (then) party chief Chirag Paswan about it,” she said.

On January 15, the complainant said she went to see Chirag and after all discussions, he pressurised me not to file the case against Prince as he was ready to resolve the matter. “I left the party in February and when Prince came to know about the matter, he lodged an FIR against me,” she alleged.

On February 10, Prince lodged an FIR against the woman and her fiancée with the Delhi Parliament Street police station, alleging that he was being pressurised to pay Rs1 crore. The woman and her fiancée were booked under sections 384 extortion and 389 of IPC.

Meanwhile, LJP state chief (Chirag faction) Raju Tiwari said the Jamui MP has been falsely implicated in the case.

Prince is among the five MPs, who rebelled against Chirag and sided with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who is now a Union minister.