Assam Pradesh Congress Committee secretary and party candidate Pranjit Choudhury in the just-concluded state Assembly elections remains elusive for the police, which has issued at least two notices for his personal appearance following an FIR in which a girl accused him of rape and forgery.
Guwahati police commissioner Mukesh Agarwal said on Monday: “A girl has lodged an FIR against Pranjit Choudhury accusing him of rape and cheating. We have not been able to trace him as cases under Sections 376 and 420 of the IPC has been registered against him.”
Mr Choudhury, who was the candidate of the ruling Congress from Kamalpur Assembly seat, could not be contacted as all his mobile numbers were switched off. Mr Choudhury, a former Youth Congress leader, is a Guwahati-based businessman.
“We have checked with all the PSOs who were deployed for his security as a candidate, but none of them have been in contact with Mr Choudhury for the past one week or more. There is every reason to suspect that he has gone out of the state following the allegation,” said the police commissioner.
The 23-year old girl, who had lodged her FIR against Mr Choudhury on April 13, alleged that the latter had “physically exploited her with the promise to marry after the election was over”.
The police has sent the girl with an escort to her parents’ home in Kamrup after getting her medically examined in GMC Hospital. The victim also deposed before the Kamrup (Metro) chief judicial magistrate.
Mr Choudhury is married and allegedly lied to the victim, saying he would marry her after divorcing his wife soon after the election. She also produced a large number of photographs to prove her relationship with the Congress leader.
Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has made it clear that the Congress would not stand by Mr Choudhury if he is found guilty. “The law will take its own course. If he is proven guilty, the Congress will definitely not stand by a criminal,” said the chief minister.
