SP leader booked under Pocso Act for rape bid on teen

LUCKNOW: A Samajwadi Party leader was arrested for allegedly attempting to rape a minor in Kannauj, the parliamentary constituency of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Monday. Nawab Singh Yadav (50), a close aide of Dimple Yadav while she was Kannauj MP in 2014, was held for attempting to rape a 15-year-old girl, police said.

However, the SP denied links with Nawab Yadav, saying he was no longer a party worker. According to police sources, the accused had called the victim to Chaudhary Chandan Singh College, which he owns, in Adangapur village, on the pretext of giving her a job.

In her complaint, the teenager said that she, along with her paternal aunt, had gone to meet Yadav for a job late on Sunday night. As her aunt went to relieve herself in a nearby restroom, Yadav disrobed the girl and tried to force himself on her. When the woman returned, she found Yadav in his innerwear and immediately called the police.

Kannauj Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Anand said at around 1.30 am, a call was received in which the minor alleged that she was stripped and a rape attempt was made on her. “The accused was taken into custody,” he said.

An FIR was lodged under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.

The BJP leaders claimed that the accused was not a small leader, but a former associate of Dimple Yadav. However, Kaleem Khan, SP’s Kannauj unit chief, released a statement claiming that Nawab Yadav was not even a primary member of the party.