A non-bailable warrant has been issued against rape-accused Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati, who is on the run, ANI reported on Saturday. Warrants have also been issued against six others in connection with the cases. The Samajwadi Party government has also issued lookout circulars against the accused.
On Friday, airports across the state were put on alert after reports said that Prajapati was planning to leave the country to evade arrest. The Immigration Department and the Sashtra Seema Bal, that guards the state’s border with Nepal, was asked to keep an eye out for the politician.
Prajapati has been missing for over a week now. He has moved court seeking protection from arrest. The case will be heard on Monday, reported NDTV.
On February 17, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered that a First Information Report be filed against Prajapati in connection with a gangrape and sexual harassment case. The apex court had given the state police eight weeks to file a report in the case.
In 2016, the minister was accused of raping a 35-year-old woman and sexually assaulting her daughter for two years. In January 2017, the Election Commission had censured Prajapati for breaching the model code of conduct, which bans “corrupt practices and bribing voters”. In an FIR, the Fatehpur police had said they had seized 4,452 sarees, allegedly meant to be distributed to voters, from a vehicle that was believed to be on its way to the minister’s residence.
In September 2016, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had sacked Prajapati for promoting illegal mining in the state.
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