A woman journalist working in a monthly magazine has registered a Zero FIR against former MlA and acting Pauri municipality chairperson Yashpal Singh Rawat ‘Benam’ in Dalanwala police station wherein the woman complainant alleged that Benam had attempted to sexually exploit her on August 23 when she had met him seeking payment for advertisements. An advertisement of Pauri municipality was published in the magazine on the eve of Independence Day.

Taking cognizance of this, a case under Sections 294, 354, 376, 511 and 506 of IPC was registered against the former MlA Benam in the Dalanwala Police Station on Saturday, said Dalanwala Police Station in-charge inspector Anil Kumar Joshi. Joshi said that in her written complaint, the complainant stated that she had met the Pauri municipality chairperson at his office for seeking payment for advertisement. She said, “Finding me alone, Benam had acted lewdly and later, attempted to sexually exploit me. I somehow managed to escape from his clutches.”

According to her, Benam threatened to kill her and her family members if she dared disclose the incident to anyone. The woman complainant alleged Benam had phoned her twice, asking her to forget the incident and also inviting her to meet him in a hotel.

She further stated initially she had wished to lodge the complaint in a police station of Pauri district, but on second thought, she changed her mind. This was because Benam happens to a very influential person, she said. She, thus, had decided to report the complaint in Dalanwala police station instead on Saturday, she said.

It should be mentioned here that till 2001, Benam was in the Congress and later he quit the party. Benam was an MlA in the last Vidhan Sabha (2007-2012) elected as an Independent candidate from Pauri constituency. He had fought municipality election too as an Independent candidate in 2003. He had won and had become the civic body’s chairperson. He was in the post for a period between 2003 and 2007. In 2013, he fought the Pauri municipality election again as an Independent candidate. He became its chairperson for the second term. Observers opined Benam had made abortive bid to rejoin Congress before the recent Parliamentary election.