The lucknow Police on Wednesday finally laid its hands on absconding former Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati accused in a gangrape case. The cops, however, treated him with “kid gloves” during a brief interrogation, said sources, adding that his supporters and advocates travelling by SUVs were allowed to accompany Prajapati in presence of police officers led by ASP Shivram Yadav.
Prajapati was nabbed from near Agra Expressway under Para police station area around 8.15 am when he was moving towards the city to surrender before the Alambagh police. He was later sent to 14-day judicial custody.
Prajapati was booked on a Supreme Court directive and an FIR was lodged on February 17 against him and six others for allegedly gangraping a woman and attempting to rape her minor daughter. The apex court had asked the UP Police to submit an action taken report regarding the incidents in eight weeks in a sealed cover.
On the way to jail, Prajapati was brought at Hazratganj Kotwali where he was mobbed by the reporters who jostled with one another to take his version of the incident.
The police took in guard of the Minister and this led to a pandemonium-like situation there.
Prajapati denied the charges levelled on him and said he did not know the woman who accused him of rape. He said he never gave any mining lease to the woman though he admitted that the woman used to visit his Gautampalli located official residence.
Prajapati demanded Narco test of the woman while he volunteered self to go for a Narco test to prove his innocence.
After he was brought at Hazratganj Kotwali, he was allowed to sit before the ASP East Shivram for hours and later when he moved out from the ASP East’ cabin, his supporters insisted to allow the accused to sit in a SUV but with the mediamen started shouting at police conduct, he was made to sit inside a police vehicle with cops surrounded the vehicle from, all sides. This led to ruckus and a cameraman was allegedly thrashed up by a Prajapati’s supporter.
later speaking to the newsmen, SSP lucknow Manzil Saini said the police had picked elder son of the former Minister and he was interrogated thoroughly. “When we did not get any clue about Prajapati, the police picked his younger son and his nephew and interrogated them. We told them that they would be challaned for hiding the details about the absconding former Minister and this worked. They told us the about his location to be in Kolkata. A police team was asked to keep tabs on Prajapati and he was finally caught,” she said.
“He sought to know the details about the charges levelled on him and asked what ‘remedy’ was available for him. I asked him to seek advice from his counsel,” she added.
She rubbished the media reports that the police were deferring his arrest and was waiting for the final result of the Assembly election. The SSP added that the police will take Prajapati on police remand in the time to come. “We are studying all the aspects related to the incident. Right now the police had no corroborative evidence against him,” she said
ASP East Shivram Yadav looked taking side of the Minister as he said the charges levelled against Prajapati were not sufficient to corroborate his crime. “The woman had denied medical test. She had got her statement recorded before a Magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC. But the statement will be of no use if she reneged from his statement that she got recorded before a Magistrate,’ he argued.
Citing a legal point, the ASP said statements given during the trial were of substance only. “If during trial the woman takes back her allegation, Prajapati will get benefit of the same,” he added.
On Tuesday, the lucknow police nabbed three more accomplices of Prajapati. With their arrest, all the six named in the case lodged at Gautampalli police station of lucknow, had been arrested.
Those arrested were identified as Rupeshwar, of Ashiyana, Vikas Verma of Krishna Nagar and Amrendra Singh alias Pintu of Amethi district. They were nabbed from Hazratganj police station area. Earlier, the police had nabbed Prajapati’s two aides - Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla - from Noida near Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway on March 7 while Minister’s security guard Chandrapal was arrested on March 6 near lucknow police lines.
With the change of guard in UP, the police had shown interest in tightening noose around the minister in Akhilesh Cabinet.