Woman allegedly raped by MoS Nihalchand seeks few minutes with PM Modi

Zee Media Bureau/Biplob Ghosal

Jaipur: With a court in Jaipur issuing notice to Union Minister Nihalchand Meghwal and 16 others in a 2011 rape case, the alleged victim has expressed hope and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet her for few minutes so that she can narrate her ordeal. Speaking to the media, the alleged rape victim said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a `good person`, but Cabinet Minister Meghwal is not and should be removed. She also sought time from the Prime Minister to address her grievances and demand justice. Meghwal is the Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. The woman said she very well remembers what happened with her in 2011 and recognises Meghwal. The alleged victim also accused the Union Minister of threatening her, offering her money and job to take back the case. “I feel scared and stay in different villages. The administration should provide security to my family,” the woman demanded. Meanwhile, speaking to a news channel, BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said, “A court had earlier given Nihalchand a clean chit and now, another court has asked the Union Minister to appear before it, the law should be allowed to take its own course. Rejecting Congress` charge of dragging its feet on the case, Anand stressed on the fact that the incident dates back to 2011 when Congress government was in power in Rajasthan. The then ruling party had given him a clean chit so there`s no point of BJP`s interference in the case, Nath said. Women Congress workers today gathered in front of the BJP headquarters to demand the removal of Meghwal. The protest, led by the women`s wing of the Congress, demanded that both the police and the BJP take action against Meghwal and that stricter laws be framed to protect women from harassment. Congress leader Shobha Oza told ANI "On one side, Modi is talking about zero tolerance on crimes against women, and on the other side, a Cabinet minister, who has been issued summons by a court in relation to a rape case, still remains a minister this shows the actual face of the BJP government.” In 2011, the woman had filed a First Information Report in Vaishali Nagar Police Station of sexual exploitation by Meghwal and 16 others, including her husband. After investigation, the police closed the case in 2012 as it found the charges to be false and fabricated. Later on January 28, 2013, the woman challenged the closure report of the Rajasthan police in the court, which asked Nihalchand and 16 others to appear before it on August 20 in connection with her alleged rape.