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Mahara rape allegation case: Roshani Shahi tells police not to “torture” her



Roshani shahi

KATHMANDU, Oct 2: Roshani Shahi has told the police, involved in the investigation of the Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara rape allegation incident, not to come to her apartment and torture her.

A staffer at the Parliament Secretariat, Shahi had verbally reported to the police accusing Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara of physically assaulting and raping her at her Tinkune-based apartment on Monday evening, which cost Mahara his political career.

Following the rape allegations, Speaker Mahara stepped down from the position on Tuesday “on moral grounds to facilitate a free and fair investigation into the incident” amid pressure from the Prime Minister and Nepal Communist Party Chair K P Sharma Oli and another Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Although, Mahara publicly admitted he had gone to Shahi’s apartment but has denied any sexual misconduct saying the allegation was made to “tarnish his character”, his press advisor Dilli Malla, however, claimed that Mahara had not gone to the Shahi’s apartment.

Later in the evening, the events took a dramatic u-turn after Shahi changed her statement saying she regretted accusing the “fatherly figure” of such misconduct while also accusing the media of exaggerating the events. She also said he was in “depression” and “angry” while making a false complaint to the police.

Even though the police who had reached her apartment shortly after Shahi complained of rape asked her to lodge a complaint at the police station, she has denied filing a case.

A team of police had reached her apartment on Wednesday morning as well to further investigate the incident.

“Some police officers in the civil dress came to my apartment and started interrogating me in a forceful and mentally torturing way. I was alone in the house. When I told them I will come to the station after my husband arrives, they started searching the rooms, which was not necessary,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

“There was no necessity to mentally torture me when I have already called a press meet and informed them about the incident in detail. I want to request the police not to visit my apartment frequently and torture me and my landlord.

“It’s on to me whether to register a complaint or not. But, please stop torturing me and my landlord,” she wrote.

The police have said they have already gathered required evidence from the scene for further investigation, while also looking closely into the prior relation between Shahi and Mahara. Various media have reported that Mahara was involved in similar misconduct with Shahi in the past.

Shahi’s u-turn and denial to register a complaint are sure to affect the police investigation.

While it remains unclear why she changed her statement, a fair and independent probe into the incident also seems unlikely given political pressure since this is a high profile case–and probably resulting in the dismissal of the case before even reaching the court.

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