Published 20:10 IST, January 22nd 2021
Woman withdraws rape complaint against NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde, probe dropped
Exactly a week after NCP minister Dhananjay Munde faced 'rape charges', the complainant has withdrawn her police complaint, an official said on Friday.
Exactly a week after NCP minister Dhananjay Munde faced 'rape charges', the complainant has withdrawn her police complaint, an official said on Friday. The woman told the investigating officer that she is taking back the complaint against Munde, but did not cite any reason, the police official said. With the police asking her to submit a notorised affidavit in this regard, the police probe into the issue has been closed.
Rape allegations against Munde dropped
A week ago, NCP chief Sharad Pawar demanded an ACP-level woman officer to probe into the issue, while demands for Maharashtra social justice minister Dhananjay Munde's sacking grew. Pawar had mulled to sack Munde from his cabinet post , after a woman accused Munde of 'sexually abusing' her since 2006, but resisted awaiting probe results. Munde has refuted the rape charges accusing the woman of 'blackmail', while admitting to having a relationship with the victim's sister, with whom he has two children.
What has Munde been accused of?
As per reports, a Mumbai woman filed a complaint on January 12 against senior NCP minister & Ajit Pawar's close aide - Dhananjay Munde (45), alleging that he had sexually abused her since 2006, demanding that he be booked for rape. While the Mumbai police had not filed an FIR in the case, they called both the victim and Munde, to record their statement. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had demanded Munde's resignation and registering the FIR.
Munde, on the other hand, admitted that he was in a relationship with the complainant's elder sister and has two children with her since 2003. On Tuesday, he said, "I have given my name to both children. Even on their school records, I am their father. In fact, my family has accepted them as family members." After Munde's remark, Pawar had termed it a 'serious charge', mulling to ask Munde for his resignation.
The case took another twist when ex-BJP MLA Krishna Hegde alleged that the same woman had been texting him since 2010 till 2015 to set a 'honey trap', seeking a relationship with him, state reports. Hegde has also claimed that MNS leader Manish Dhuri too had faced similar 'harassment' from the same woman apart from another private individual too. Munde has reportedly gotten a restraining order from the Bombay High Court to stop the complainant's elder sister from publishing photos and articles of him on social media, adding that then the complainant started 'blackmailing' him. Curiously, the leader of Opposition - Devendra Fadnavis too echoed Pawar saying, 'we must wait for the probe's outcome'.
(With PTI Inputs)
Updated 20:10 IST, January 22nd 2021