Maharashtra: Solapur BJP leader Shrikant Deshmukh booked for rape

A video of the woman and Deshmukh, in which she is seen accusing him of cheating her, recently surfaced after which he resigned as the president of the BJP’s Solapur district unit last week.

Officials said that the complainant, who is in her early 30s, said she came in contact with Deshmukh in the past. She alleged Deshmukh promised to marry her and on that pretext raped and sexually abused her on multiple occasions in Solapur, Pune, Mumbai and Sangli. She also alleged that he threatened to harm her and her family.

A first information report (FIR) was registered against Deshmukh at Deccan Gymkhana police station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to rape, unnatural offences and criminal intimidation in the case of sequence of events from December 2021.

When contacted, a senior official from the Deccan Gymkhana police station confirmed that an FIR was registered against Deshmukh and transferred to Sadar Bazar police station in Solapur.

Commissioner of police of Solapur city Rajendra Mane said: “We have been intimated that the case was being transferred to our jurisdiction for further probe.”

Earlier in the month, the Oshiwara police registered an extortion case against the woman based on Deshmukh’s complaint. He alleged that he was “honey-trapped” by the woman. According to the complaint, the woman demanded Rs 2 crore and a flat in Mumbai from him. She threatened to defame and ruin his political and public image if her demands were not met, he alleged in the complaint.