BJP MLA booked for ‘beating up’ Dalit women

Rudrapur, March 11

A BJP MLA from Uttarakhand has been booked for allegedly beating up Dalit women and making casteist remarks here, the police has said.

A video of the incident, which purportedly shows Rudrapur MLA Rajkumar Thukral beating up the women on Friday, went viral on social media.

Thukral was booked under Sections 323 and 504 of the IPC and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Two other BJP leaders’ names were also mentioned in the FIR, a police official said.

The BJP leader, however, has termed the allegations baseless. “It is a conspiracy to malign my image by making false allegations,” he said.

“The case was registered after a person named Ram Kishore filed a complaint on behalf of the victims,” Sadanand Date, SSP, Udham Singh Nagar, said.

According to reports, a panchayat meeting was held at the MLA’s house on Friday morning over a couple’s relationship. Both the girl and boy’s family members were present. After the family members got into a scuffle, Thukral allegedly lost his cool and hit some of the women. — PTI