Senior IPS officer Amitabh Thakur with his wife Nutan
Amitabh Thakur, the senior Uttar Pradesh police officer who has taken on powerful politician Mulayam Singh Yadav, says he is being targeted because of his wife Nutan Thakur's activism in exposing corruption.
Last Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh police registered a rape case against Mr Thakur, 44, barely 24 hours after he had lodged an FIR or First Information Report against Mulayam Singh Yadav, alleging the Samajwadi Party chief had threatened him on the phone.
Mr Thakur has questioned the timing of the FIR. The allegation of rape was first levelled against him more than six months ago, 20 days after his wife moved the state's Lokayukta or anti-corruption ombudsman alleging that UP minister Gayatri Prajapati was involved in a mining scam.
That was on December 26 last.
On January 14, a woman from Ghaziabad alleged to the state Women's Commission that Mr Thakur had raped her when she went to his house to seek a job.
The same day, the women's commission received another complaint from a woman in Etah alleging that Nutan Thakur was involved in human trafficking.
"When they could not pressure us to take back our complaint, they filed these complaints. One should not make a serious issue like rape so frivolous," Mrs Nutan Thakur told NDTV.
Social activists for years, Amitabh Thakur and his wife have so far filed over 175 public interest litigations or PILs. Mrs Thakur was last year restrained by the UP High Court from filing PILs without the government's permission.
The UP government of Akhilesh Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav, has suspended Mr Thakur for indiscipline. "All these are a violation of the service rules. And it demoralizes other government officials who work sincerely," Asim Waqar, a spokesperson of the ruling Samajwadi Party said.
Mr Thakur seemed unperturbed as he said, "Is it a crime to point out corruption and scam. I can't come back if they murder me but I will continue to speak. Our constitution gives me the right." he said.