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Dr Bhattarai accuses Mahara of forcing Roshani to withdraw her statement

Publish date : 3 October, 2019
Krishna Bahadur Mahara rape allegation case

KATHMANDU, Oct 3: Chairman of the Federal Council of Samajbadi Party Nepal, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has accused Nepal Communist Party leader and former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara–who stepped down from his position on Monday following the rape allegation–of forcing Roshani Shahi to make a u-turn in his statements.

Roshani Shahi, a staffer at the Parliament Secretariat, had made a verbal complaint on Sunday evening accusing Mahara of sexually assaulting and raping her. However, Roshani later, in a dramatic turn of events, withdrew her statement saying she regretted accusing “a fatherly figure” of such hateful misconduct.

She also refused to file a case against Mahara despite “frequent requests” from the police while it also remains unclear why she suddenly changed her statement after accusing a high profile figure of sexual misconduct.

Following the incident, Roshani’s husband Chitra Jung Shahi, who was outside the valley when the incident took place, revealed on his Facebook page that he and Roshani had decided to separate.

Dr. Bhattarai said Mahara has either enticed or threatened Roshani to change her statement adding he used his power to save his face.

“A man commits adultery in pomposity of power! After the misconduct is revealed, he then wheedles/threatens the woman to make a u-turn in her statement to cover his face! And another man/husband drives her out of the house because of adultery! Until when Sita is sacrificed in the Ram-Rawan war? It this women’s liberation? It this cultural revolution?” Bhattarai wrote on twitter.

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