Maharashtra: Woman withdraws rape allegations against minister Dhananjay Munde
The woman who accused Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde of rape has withdrawn her complaint, reports said on Friday. Since no FIR had been lodged, the matter will now be closed. A senior police officer said the woman has given a written statement confirming that she wants to retract the serious charges. Here are more details.
Woman had earlier claimed minister first raped her in 2006
The complainant is the sister of a woman with whom Munde had a consensual relationship. He also sired two children with her. As per her earlier allegations, Munde first raped her in 2006, when her sister wasn't home. She alleged he repeatedly raped her thereafter and recorded the abuse. The woman, who is also a singer, was promised a Bollywood break by Munde.
Refuting allegations, Munde had cried conspiracy
Facing serious allegations, Munde had put out a verbose Facebook post, saying that the complainant, the woman he was in a relationship with, and their brother had been blackmailing him since 2019 and this case was also a part of the scheme. He said his wife and friends were aware of his second relationship and that he even lent his name to the kids.
The minister had pointed toward legal troubles as well
Munde, who joined NCP after leaving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over sour ties with late uncle Gopinath Munde, also drew attention to the pending legal cases. He revealed that the complainant's sister was forbidden by the Bombay High Court from posting defamatory material against him. He also claimed to have evidence against the accuser to prove that she has been demanding money.
Accuser said rocky relationship between sister, Munde affected her
Days after the allegations surfaced, the accuser has now changed her stance, telling the investigating officer in a statement that she was under mental pressure because of the sour relationship between her sister and Munde, reports TOI. She also opined that rival political parties were misusing her complaint. The woman was asked to submit a notarized affidavit, so she can't deny this development later.
The case now stands closed
"No offense was registered. We were probing her complaint. Now, with no complaint, the case stands closed automatically," a cop told the daily.
