BHOPAL: Senior Congress leader Ajay Singh on Thursday said police personnel from a non-BJP ruled state should be allowed to probe the case where a religious storyteller allegedly raped a minor girl with assistance from his aides in a government circuit house in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district.
The former Leader of Opposition sought to know how a room (where the alleged crime took place) was booked in the name of a "habitual offender" in the government circuit house in Rewa.
The main accused, Mahant Sitaram Das alias Sitaram Tripathi, a religious storyteller, was arrested from neighbouring Singrauli district's Waidhan town on Wednesday, two days after the incident.
The police had earlier arrested another accused, in whose name the circuit house room was booked, while some others wanted in the case, including a car driver, were absconding.
Terming the incident as "shameful," Singh said because of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tough stand, the main accused was arrested, but who will explain viral videos on social media suggesting "close relationship" between the mahant, officials and also some BJP leaders? Though chief minister has ordered a probe to find out how the circuit house room where the crime took place was allotted to the mahant, there is doubt on impartiality of the inquiry because of Tripathi's close relations with some BJP leaders and officials, Singh said in a statement.
He said if the Chouhan government is really serious about getting the matter impartially investigated, then it should handover the probe to police or judicial officials from a non-BJP ruled state.
The religious storyteller checked into the room along with the girl (age not disclosed) on March 28.
The room was booked in the name of an alleged habitual offender, Additional Superintendent of Police Shivkumar Verma said.
Tripathi's associates bolted the room from outside.
Inside the room, the mahant forced the victim to consume liquor and then allegedly threatened and raped her, the official said.
Based on her complaint, the police on Tuesday registered a case against the mahant and his associates under relevant Indian Penal Code sections, including 376 (D) (gang rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation), and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.