BSP MP remanded to one day police custody in rape case

New Delhi: BSP MP Dhananjay Singh, who is in jail with his wife in connection with the murder of their maid, was on Thursday remanded to one-day police custody by a Delhi court in another case of rape and criminal intimidation lodged against him.

Dhananjay, MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Babita Puniya on a production warrant issued for him in a case of allegedly repeatedly raping a 42-year-old woman, a railway employee, between 2005-09.

The Delhi Police arrested Dhananjay inside the courtroom in the fresh case and sought his two-day custody for his interrogation saying the MP is not cooperating with them in the investigation of the case. Advocate SPM Tripathi, appearing for Dhananjay, opposed the police plea saying his client is cooperating in the probe and he has nothing more to tell the investigators.

The court, however, allowed the police plea and remanded Dhananjay to a day's police custody till tomorrow. The police said that an FIR of rape was lodged against Dhananjay after the woman recently approached it alleging that she was sexually exploited by the MP between 2005-2009.

She was continuously raped by Singh at gunpoint and was threatened with dire consequences if she reported the matter, the police said. The rape case was lodged against the MP on November 13 at Pandav Nagar police station in east Delhi.

Dhananjay, whose bail application was on Wednesday rejected by another court here, and his wife Jagriti, a dental surgeon at the R M L Hospital, were arrested on November 5 and are currently in judicial custody in connection with the death of their 35-year-old maid Rakhi Bhadra, a resident of West Bengal.

The court had rejected Dhananjay's bail in the murder case saying the allegations against him were "very serious" and he does not deserve any leniency due his previous conduct. Rakhi's body, with injury marks on her legs, chest and arms, was recovered from Dhananjay's South Avenue residence on the evening of November 4.

The police had said the MP and Jagriti allegedly used to "mercilessly" beat and torture their three domestic helps-- Rakhi, Meena and a minor. The minor domestic help had earlier showed to the court his severe injuries allegedly inflicted by Jagriti.

Police had said the domestic helps were allegedly tortured and thrashed by Jagriti with sticks, iron rods, clothes iron and even metallic deer horns. Dhananjay, who also faces charges of murder and offences under the UP Gangsters Act, was arrested for allegedly destroying evidence, not informing police about the maid's death immediately and employing a juvenile as domestic help.

Jagriti has been arrested under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 344 (wrongful confinement) of Indian Penal code and Juvenile Justice Act.