LUCKNOW: Congress MP from Sitapur, Rakesh Rathore, was arrested on Thursday on charges of raping a woman. He was taken into custody from his residence in Sitapur.
The Allahabad high court had rejected Rathore's anticipatory bail plea on Wednesday and directed him to surrender within two weeks. A CJM court had issued an arrest warrant against the lawmaker on Jan 27 after he failed to appear before it.
The Congress MP, 60, has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman, in her late twenties, on the pretext of marriage and threatening her with consequences if she approached the police. A police complaint was filed against him at a police station in Sitapur on Jan 18 this year. Sitapur SP Chakresh Mishra said the MP was absconding after being booked for rape.
The woman in her FIR also alleged that she first met the MP in 2018 and he promised to build her political career. However, in March 2020, Rathore allegedly confined her in his house and raped her. The woman further said that Rakesh Rathore had promised to marry her after divorcing his wife.
She also alleged that after becoming an MP in 2024, Rathore forced her to sign blank papers, threatened her and declared she would remain his mistress. Her family is reportedly living in fear due to continuous harassment.
The Sitapur SP said the survivor underwent a medical examination and her statement was recorded before a magistrate, where she confirmed the assault.
Asked about the Congress stand on the issue, UPCC chief Ajay Rai said the charges against Rathore should be probed and the law should take its course.
Rathore was elected as MLA from Sitapur on a BJP ticket in 2017. In 2021, some leaked audio clips revealed his criticism of BJP's governance and caste bias. He later joined the Samajwadi Party and thereafter the Congress in 2022, citing BJP's anti-people policies. He did not contest the 2022 UP election. In 2024, Rathore won the Sitapur Lok Sabha seat by 90,000 votes on a Congress ticket.