The Karnataka BJP, which is already in disperation due to factional fued among party leadership, is now in crsis with one of its MLA Muniratna was in police custody on the charges of raping a women inside his Vidhana Soudha office.
The woman who filed a case against him has alleged that the RR Nagar MLA sexually assaulted her inside the car provided by the government as well. The BJP legislator, who was in judicial custody following his arrest in connection with a rape and honey-trap case, however, has denied all the allegations.
After the complainant claimed that Munirathna raped her inside his office at Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka’s ruling Congress performed a purification ritual at the gates of the Assembly building after the news broke.
N Munirathna has been taken into the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The Karnataka government on Saturday constituted the SIT under Aditional Director General of Police (CID) B K Singh to probe three criminal cases registered against him including a casteist abuse and a rape case.
The announcement came after a court remanded Munirathna to 14 days’ judicial custody in an alleged rape case earlier in the day. The investigation team also comprises three IPS officers, Labhu Ram, Soumyalatha S K and C A Simon.
The team has been asked to probe not only the three cases against him but also all the cases registered against the MLA and his aides in various police stations across the state. Munirathna was arrested a week ago in connection with two FIRs being lodged against him for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse.
The rape complaint, meanwhile, was filed at the Kaggalipura Police Station in Ramanagara district on Thursday. The survivor accused the BJP leader of raping her at a godown in Mutyalanagara. The act was recorded which the MLA used to threaten her with.
In the first FIR filed by the police based on a complaint by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor Cheluvaraju, the MLA is accused of demanding Rs. 30 lakh as a bribe and threatening to terminate his contract if he did not pay the money.
According to the police, the second FIR against the accused MLA was filed on the complaint of a BBMP corporator who alleged that Munirathna had hurled casteist abuse, and insulted his caste and family.
The third case was registered on September 19 against Munirathna and six others following the complaint by a 40-year-old woman who alleged that the rape took place at a private resort within the Kaggalipura police station’s jurisdiction.
