Samajwadi Party leader Nawab Singh Yadav was arrested on Monday for allegedly attempting to rape a 15-year-old girl.
On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh police received a distress call on the 112 helpline number at around 1:30 am.
"Last night around 1.30 am, a call was received on UP 112 wherein a girl said that she had been stripped and an attempt of assault had been made on her," said Kannauj Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar Anand.
After arriving at the scene, the police rescued the teen and arrested Nawab Singh Yadav, who was found in an "objectionable" condition, he stated.
During questioning, the girl told the police that her paternal aunt took her to Yadav's residence as she needed a job opportunity.
A case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and POCSO Act, and further investigation is underway.
Calling it a "capitalist conspiracy," Nawab Singh Yadav stated, "This is a capitalist conspiracy. The victim denies this, but despite that, she will undergo a medical examination. We remain steadfast in our fight against this injustice."
Meanwhile, the court sent the SP leader to 14-day judicial custody.
As the news of Nawab Singh's death came out, the Samajwadi Party started distancing itself from the leader. Kannauj District President Kaleem Khan stated that Singh is not affiliated with the party.
"It is important to clarify that Nawab Singh Yadav, son of Chandan Singh Yadav, a resident of Addangapur, is not a member of the Samajwadi Party. Despite attempts to link him with the party, he has been engaged in anti-party activities for years and is not connected with us in any capacity," reads an official statement issued by the Samajwadi Party.
Attacking SP on the other front, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi accused the party of shielding its leaders. "Nawab Singh Yadav is not just any SP leader; he has been a representative of MP Dimple Yadav. Under SP's policy that 'boys will be boys,' such crimes are consistently covered up. First, it was Ayodhya's Moid Khan, and now it's Kannauj's Nawab Singh Yadav. This is the true character of SP," he stated.
Nawab Singh has a total of 16 cases registered against him at Kannauj's City Police Station and Tirwa Police Station, including charges of attempted murder and three other cases under the Goonda Act.
Source: India Today