File photo of suspended IPS officer, Amitabh Thakur
The husband of the woman who has accused senior police officer officer Amitabh Thakur of raping her has said there was no political pressure on them to file the case. On July 11, the Uttar Pradesh police had filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the Indian Police Services (IPS) officer for allegedly raping a woman at his residence.
"I challenge any SP worker to recognise me. I have no connections with any politician. We don't know how it happened. We as affected party have been running from pillar to post for past 6 months to get case registered," the alleged rape survivor's husband told NDTV.
Though the complaint had been lying with the Uttar Pradesh police for the past seven months, it was only a day after Mr Thakur's claims of allegedly being threatened by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav that the case was registered. Mr Thakur had released an audio conversation alleged to be with the former chief minister in which Mr Yadav threatened him not to pursue a case against the state mining minister.
Denying the rape allegation, Mr Thakur told NDTV, "how easy is it for anyone to register a rape case against anyone? In this case, I am crying for justice. She is being use by her political masters."
But the alleged rape survivor's husband remains firm that there is no political angle to the case and says he fears for the safety of his family. "Yes. I fear for my wife, my own life and that of my children. There was some buzz in our area, so I had told the police that people are looking to harm me. As such no attack yet," he said.
In her FIR, the woman has alleged that she was raped by Mr Thakur at the officer's residence in Ghaziabad on December 31 last year, when she had gone to meet Mrs Thakur in connection with a job offer.
Mr Thakur who has been suspended by the state government, has asked for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.