After being put under “house arrest” last Saturday when he was about to leave for Gorakhpur, retired IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, on Friday, was allegedly arrested after being booked by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the rape charges against Bahujan Samaj Party MP Atul Rai and now also for the self-immolation by the victim and her friend in New Delhi.
Interestingly, Thakur, who announced to contest against Yogi Adityanath earlier in the day, announced to float a new political outfit.
The retired IPS officer was arrested after an FIR was registered against him at the Hazratganj police station on a SIT report in the case of death of the girl and witness who accused BSP MP Atul Rai of Ghosi of rape.
There was a lot of drama during the arrest of Thakur from his residence in Gomti Nagar and later also at the Hazratganj police station. The accused tried to free himself from the clutches of the police, saying that he would not go until the FIR and his arrest warrant were shown. The policemen had a hard time putting him inside the police jeep.
The FIR was registered at Hazratganj police station by Senior Sub-Inspector Dayashanker Dwivedi against BSP MP Atul Rai and former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur under sections 120B, 167,195A, 218, 306, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. Thakur was said to be arrested for abetting the rape victim's suicide. He has been kept at Hazratganj police station and is likely to be produced before a magistrate to seek his judicial remand.
Sources said that the SIT team found Thakur prima facie guilty of conspiring to save Atul Rai, who is an accused in a rape case and also for abetting the victim to commit suicide. The alleged rape victim had died earlier this week, days after she attempted self-immolation outside the Supreme Court in the national capital. Her companion, who had also set himself on fire, also died.
The complainant and her companion had set themselves on fire outside the Supreme Court on August 16, after leveling serious allegations against the police and other authorities, including Thakur, SSP Amit Pathak and a judge, of conspiring against her. The woman had lodged a rape report against Atul Rai on May 1, 2019 with the Lanka police station of Varanasi. Rai, who had filed nomination as the BSP candidate from the Ghosi parliamentary seat, won the election as an absconder and later surrendered before the court on June 22, 2019. He has been in jail since then.
Meanwhile, on Friday morning, Thakur posted a video on social media claiming that he will soon launch his own political party, proposing its name as 'Adhikar Sena'. Thakur has asked his supporters to suggest alternative names if they want. He has also sought suggestions on the “mission and structure of the party”, adding that the process of party formation shall be initiated very soon.
Thakur, who was compulsorily retired from service earlier this year, has already announced his intention to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly election against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur. On August 21, he was stopped by the police from going to Gorakhpur to launch his campaign.