Kanker (Chhattisgarh): A rape-accused BJP leader wanted by Jharkhand police is openly conducting public meetings as he set to contest Bhanupratappur bye-election in Chhatisgarh next month.
Jharkhand police are searching for three people accused of rape including BJP candidate Brahmanand Netam, BJP treasurer Dipankar Sinha, and Naresh Soni. A team from Jharkhand police is camping in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district since Monday to nab Netam, who, interestingly, was seen on Tuesday going from village to village to seek votes in the same district. The polling is scheduled on December 5 at Bhanupratappur.
Jharkhand Police had issued a notice to Netam to appear at the Kanker police station by 10 am on Tuesday. However, neither he nor the other two reached the police station. A team led by DSP Sumit Kumar of Jharkhand Police, who had reached Kotwali police station in Chhattisgarh, have now left for Dhamtari and Balod to arrest the three accused.
The case gained traction after state Congress chief Mohan Markam earlier this month claimed that the Jharkhand police had lodged a complaint at Telco police station in Jamshedpur on May 15, 2019 about a 15-year-old girl allegedly being pushed into flesh trade and raped by several persons.
According to Markam, five persons were held in the case initially, while former BJP MLA Netam, a native of Charama town in Kanker, and four others were also named as accused. The Jharkhand police arrived in Raipur on Monday morning and headed to Kanker in connection with the case.
Jharkhand SSP says 'he has no information'
On Monday, ETV Bharat had contacted Jamshedpur SSP Prabhat Kumar about the Jharkhand police team sent to Kanker to nab the accused. The SSP clearly said that he "had no information about it". "Who is this Brahmanand Netam?" the SSP said adding that he received many calls regarding the issue.
When ETV Bharat mentioned case number 84/2019 registered in Telco police station, the SSP disconnected the call. Further attempts to reach him did not fructify. The question being asked in this case is why Jharkhand police failed to take action in a 2019 case.
Also read: Chhattisgarh: BJP backs Netam following Congress' rape allegation against by-poll candidate
Political slugfest
Senior BJP MLA and former minister Brijmohan Agrawal dubbed the Jharkhand police’s arrival as a "conspiracy" by Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government. Fearing defeat in the December 5 Bhanupratappur bypoll, Congress made such false allegations against Netam. People of Bhanupratappur and Chhattisgarh will give a befitting reply to the Congress for its conspiracy to malign the image of an innocent tribal man, Agrawal claimed.
On Monday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel slammed the BJP and asked why it was raising a hue and cry when the Jharkhand police arrived in Chhattisgarh in connection with the rape case. “Two days ago, (BJP leader) Brijmohan Agarwal had challenged to arrest Netam, and if the Jharkhand police have arrived here why is he raising a hue and cry and terming the action as a conspiracy?” he said.
The case was lodged when the Raghubar Das-led BJP government was in power in Jharkhand, he said, adding that BJP should ask him (Raghubar Das) about the conspiracy. “Why is the BJP supporting a rapist (referring to Netam)? If they (BJP) have done something wrong (by nominating Netam as the party candidate), then they should accept their mistake.
Instead of accepting their mistake, they are trying to hide it,” Baghel said. In a counterattack to Baghel's statements, former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh said, "Action needs to be taken within 24 hours if an FIR gets' registered under POCSO Act but the Jharkhand police kept waiting for three years.
Congress is taking these actions fearing defeat in upcoming elections and it is politically motivated. No arrests were made for three years? No notice, information, even a single summon was not issued, so it's a part of the conspiracy and Bharatiya Janata Party will oppose it."
