AGARTALA: Dhananjay Tripura had a close shave ahead of his wedding. Narrowly escaping police action, the Tripura MLA married the woman who accused him of raping her.
The marriage was solemnized at the bride’s house at Mandwai on Sunday with pomp and gaiety.
The 29-year-old tribal MLA is from the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura which is a constituent of the state’s BJP-led coalition government.
“It was a mutual decision to have the marriage and it was solemnized at her residence yesterday in the presence of a lot of people,” Dhananjay told this newspaper.
He said after an FIR was filed against him by the woman last month, he had visited her family a few times to iron out differences.
“Some mistakes were made by both sides and they have been corrected. We are now in touch with our legal counsels for withdrawal of the case,” he said, adding, “I will organise a reception soon”.
The police had made significant progress in the investigation of the case as pressure was being mounted on them by social media users for a fair probe.
In her complaint, the woman had alleged, “We have been in an affair for two years and he had raped me several times at a residence in Abhaynagar locality of Agartala. He developed a physical relationship with me promising to marry me but discarded me eventually”.
A case under Sections 417 (cheating) and 376 (rape) of IPC was registered. The FIR was lodged in Mandwai but the police transferred the case to East Agartala Women Police Station as Abhaynagar, the place of the alleged crime, falls under this police station.
The woman’s statement was recorded before a magistrate after she had been medically examined. The accused MLA had then described the charge of rape as part of a “political conspiracy” to malign him and his party. He had also threatened to sue the complainant.