Amreli: A woman member of a village
panchayat in the district has alleged that she was gangraped
by a BJP MLA and 17 others six months ago, police said on Friday.
The allegation has been made by husband of the woman, a
member of Dhari village panchayat, in two applications
submitted to the police.
The victim`s husband has alleged that 18 persons,
including Dhari BJP MLA Manshukh Bhuva, had gangraped his wife
six months ago, Amreli Superintendent of Police H R Muliyana
said.
In the applications, only six persons have been named,
while 12 others have been shown as unidentified, he said.
"Since the incident, as claimed by the complainant, took
place six months ago, we need to first verify the veracity of
the complaint," Muliyana said.
"We are sending the woman for a medical check-up after
which there would be further investigation," he said.
When contacted, the BJP legislator dismissed the rape
charge as politically motivated and termed it as a blackmail
tactics.
Bhuva said the police were free to investigate the
complaint and take action against those found guilty.
Meanwhile, Dhari on Friday observed a bandh against the
allegation made by the woman. No untoward incident was
reported during the shutdown, police said.
PTI
