Sena leader booked for abetting Dalit woman's rape by his brothers

Shiv Sena leader and former mayor of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, Bhagvan Phulsundar, has been booked for allegedly abetting rape of a Dalit woman by two of his brothers over a land dispute, police said on Sunday. While Bhagvan Phulsundar (55), the former mayor, and his brother Arun allegedly abetted the crime, their two brothers Ganesh (30) and Mahesh (34) allegedly committed the act, said police inspector and Kotwali police station in-charge Vikas Wagh.

No arrest is made so far. An FIR was registered against the four on Saturday night on a complaint lodged by the woman belonging to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, he said.

According to the complainant, she was assaulted by the brothers on August 12 who had accused her of encroaching their land. "The complainant stated she was raped by Ganesh Phulsundar and Mahesh Phulsundar on August 12 afternoon while Bhagvan and Arun helped them in the crime," said Wagh.

The alleged incident occurred at the farm of the Phulsundars on Burudgao Road near Ahmednagar. A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape and criminal intimidation, and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the police officer added.

Police are investigating the case from various angles, besides the exact circumstances surrounding the alleged crime. Meanwhile, local NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap has demanded a probe to verify the facts, suspecting "political vendetta".

He has submitted a letter to district police superintendent demanding verification of facts in the allegations.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)