BJP MLA accused of sexually assaulting a minor, case filed under POCSO Act

New Delhi: The state police have registered a case against Himachal Pradesh BJP MLA Hans Raj under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A complainant has alleged that he sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. The 42-year-old BJP MLA from the Churah assembly constituency in Chamba district has been charged under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Section 69 (deceptive sexual intercourse) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The complaint was filed at the women’s police station on Friday.

Last week, the woman went live on Facebook and made serious allegations of sexual assault and threats against the MLA and his associates, claiming she had evidence. She uploaded a seven-minute video alleging that the MLA had ruined her family and that she feared for her life. In response, Hans Raj released a video calling the allegations baseless and politically motivated.

Subsequently, his father told the media that the MLA’s associates had kidnapped him, broken his mobile phone, and threatened to burn his house down if he did not withdraw the case. A senior police officer said a case was registered at the women’s police station in Chamba on Friday evening. The victim, who is in her twenties, alleged that the MLA had sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. He said, “Her statement was recorded before a magistrate and a medical examination was also conducted.”

This development comes shortly after an FIR was registered against Hans Raj on November 6 at the Tissa police station under sections 140(3), 115(2), 351(2), 324(4), and 3(5) of the IPC for crimes related to kidnapping, wrongful confinement, assault, and criminal intimidation. The complaint filed by the victim’s father alleges that the MLA, his personal secretary, Lekh Raj, and another associate, Muniyan Khan, forcibly took his daughter and him to Shimla and threatened them with dire consequences if they did not recant their previous statement.

In August last year, a case was registered against the MLA at the Chamba women’s police station based on the same woman’s complaint. The woman alleged that the MLA was sending her obscene messages, demanding nude photos, and threatening her. However, a few days later, she went live on social media and retracted her allegations, stating that she had made them under pressure. Responding to the new allegations, Hans Raj called them a political conspiracy aimed at tarnishing his image. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Vidya Negi has sought a report from the Chamba police on the matter.

Hans Raj is the third BJP leader in the state to be accused of sexual harassment in the past month. On October 11, Solan police arrested 81-year-old Ram Kumar Bindal, the elder brother of Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal, for allegedly raping a 25-year-old woman. On October 14, a rape case was filed against Brijeshwar, son of former Shimla MP Virendra Kashyap, for allegedly having physical relations with a woman under the pretext of marriage. The woman filed a complaint after discovering that he was already married.