*NEW DELHI: An MLA from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was charged onWednesday in connection with the rape of a teenage girl, a case that hasembarrassed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government amid a spate ofsexual violence that has stirred street protests.*
Over 100 rapes are reported in India every day but the MLA’s case hasstrong political overtones with critics accusing the BJP in Uttar Pradeshof hindering judicial action against Kuldeep Singh Sengar.
Sengar was arrested in April in connection with the rape of the teenager inthe city of Unnao, in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, a yearafter the attack allegedly took place.
With opposition groups joining protests and vigils in cities across Indiacalling for tougher action, Uttar Pradesh authorities handed over theinvestigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In a statement, the CBI said it had filed charges based on its inquiry intoa complaint submitted by the teenager’s mother alleging that her daughter,a minor, was taken to the residence of the MLA by a local woman and rapedthere.
Sengar’s lawyer, R.K Singh, said in April his client was innocent and thecase amounted to a conspiracy to harm his political career.
India registered about 40,000 rape cases in 2016, up from 25,000 in 2012,government data show. Rights activists say thousands more go unreported.