The controversy over a woman lodging an FIR against former Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat and later withdrawing her statement, alleging that she had lodged the FIR on being coaxed by the close aides of Chief Minister Harish Rawat has taken another turn as the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) lodged an FIR against the woman on Friday evening.
The allegation of rape against Harak Singh Rawat leveled by the woman, took the State's political circles by storm as Harak has been
surrounded by controversies since March, when nine Congress MlAs rebelled inside the Assembly when the House was taking up the crucial Appropriation Bill. The mercurial politician, deemed fond of embracing controversies, kept on hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
As the woman recorded her statement regarding rape before a Magistrate under Section 164 in Delhi the State political circles and the media were agog with speculation over whether Harak would be arrested by Delhi Police with which she lodged the FIR against him.
It was at that critical time that the woman did an about-turn, withdrawing her statement, raising another allegation against the CMO, stating that the latter had coerced her to go for the charge against the BJP leader. This naturally thickened the plot of the mystery, leaving all to wonder what had really happened.
The sudden turn of events forced Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who usually avoids making statements on such issues, to convene a Press conference to make his stand clear vis-à-vis the murky matter. He flatly denied the woman's allegation, saying that he did not set store by such brand of vulgar politics.
The controversy took another turn a day later as Harak demanded a CBI enquiry into the episode on his return to Dehradun, saying that the FIR had been lodged against him at the behest of a mighty group, hell-bent on maligning his image to settle political scores. He also demanded fool-proof security for the woman, saying that her life was endangered.
This was followed by the CM's personal secretary Kamal Rawat lodging an FIR against the woman in the city police station on Friday evening. He mentioned that Indira Devi alias Roshni had lodged the FIR against Harak at Safdarjang Police Station in Delhi and later recorded her statement before a Magistrate in Delhi, confirming her rape charge against him.
Significantly, while withdrawing her charge, Roshni said that she had been coaxed into making the statement by the Personal Secretary to the CM.
The FIR stated that the allegation was meant to malign the image of the State Government in the public eye. It amounted to defamation, the FIR stated. Acting on the complaint lodged by the Personal Secretary to the CM Kamal Rawat, the police has lodged an FIR under Section 393, 180 and 120-B with immediate effect.
Observers say that the final act of the sordid episode is yet to be played. "The controversy would not die down soon with two Rawats being at daggers drawn with the election drawing near," a State-watcher said.