Lalu Yadav meets suspended RJD MLA accused of raping 15-year-old

Suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, who is accused of raping a 15-year-old minor girl, called upon the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday and said he has no grudge against the state government, ahead of the hearing against his bail plea in the Supreme Court, according to a report in Times Now. Emerging from the meeting at 10 Circular Road residence of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi where he met RJD president Lalu Prasad, Raj Ballabh Yadav told reporters it was a courtesy visit to extend greetings of Durga Puja. There was no word from Lalu Prasad on the meeting. The office at Rabri Devi’s house also maintained it was a usual courtesy visit. Raj Ballabh Yadav, MLA from Nawada, said he has no complaint against the state government for going against his bail in the apex court. “Government works according to a system. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not gone into appeal … I do not have any grievance against the state government. Why you (mediapersons) are raising question about the system,” he said.   [caption id=“attachment_3037344” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Raj Ballabh Yadav. Pradesh18.com[/caption] Replying to questions, Raj Ballabh said, “There is no serious charge against me. There is no FIR or statement of the victim under 164 CRPC against me.” The third term RJD MLA was suspended from the party in the wake of the rape allegation against him. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav told reporters that the government was doing its duty and it is up to the court to see if the accused MLA is guilty. “Let us leave the matter to the court to decide,” Tejaswi Yadav, who is also leader of RJD Legislature party in the state Assembly, said. Raj Ballabh Yadav, a RJD loyalist, was granted bail on 30 September by the Patna High Court, which was challenged by the Bihar government — formed in alliance with Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal — in the Supreme Court. The matter is due for hearing on Friday. Earlier, the victim in the alleged rape case expressed concern for herself and her family’s safety even as the Bihar government on Wednesday had appealed against the bail order. In a desperate bid to draw attention to her apprehensions, the Nalanda schoolgirl sent out a a WhatsApp message to reporters saying she and her family were “living in fear” after the release of Yadav. “He (Yadav) is out of jail…I am scared and afraid for my family. What will happen to them? I am already dead after what happened to me. I have nothing more to lose,” the victim said in her message. She said she was scared that her family might be “eliminated”, along with her. The victim, after the trauma of the sordid event, had to write her matriculation papers at a secluded centre due to fear. The state school examination board facilitated the separate exam and the girl cleared the examination in first division. According to The girl a resident of Rahui in Nalanda, was allegedly raped by Raj Ballabh on 6 February at his Bihar Sharif residence, around 70 km from Patna . While the crime was committed in February, The Times of India_,_ reported that it was in April that the Nalanda police had filed an FIR and Raj Ballabh was named as the key accused. The police chargesheet also names a woman and her relatives for allegedly supplying girls to the RJD lawmaker. RJD suspended the accused from party membership a day after his arrest. Amid fear that his many properties might be confiscated, Yadav had surrendered before a local court in March, after evading arrest for over a month. Meanwhile, according to a report by  NDTV, the Opposition has been cornering the Nitish Kumar-led government over the links of the accused with the RJD, a partner in the ruling alliance. The BJP accused Bihar government of not pursuing cases against tainted politicians linked to RJD so as not to upset its key political ally. The Bihar government has also been under fire after RJD strongman Mohammed Shahabuddin, accused in over 40 cases of murder, extortion and kidnapping, managed to secure a bail from the High Court. However, Shahbuddin surrendered after the apex court set aside his bail order on 30 September, on Bihar government’s plea. With inputs from PTI