A woman in her 40s from Bundelkhand has filed a case against a BJP leader for allegedly raping her in February 2022 and attempting to rape her younger sister recently.

The woman has stated in her complaint that she runs an NGO that works for women’s empowerment.

“Narendra Tripathi, former in-charge of BJP Kisan Morcha in Bundelkhand, had shared the dais with me at a function in Auraiya in November 2021. He offered me to live and run my office from a house owned by him in Brahmanagar. I live there with my younger sister and two daughters. Tripathi came to my house when I was alone one day in February 2022 and raped me,” she said in the complaint submitted to Kotwali police on Saturday.

“I remained silent when he started assaulting me regularly because I feared that he was very powerful and could kill me and my daughters. I woke up on November 7 morning and saw him trying to sexually assault my sister and beating her when she resisted his aggression,” she added.

Bhupendra Singh Rathi, in charge of Auraiya Kotwali police station, said: “We have filed an FIR against the BJP leader and are conducting an inquiry. We will build a strong case against the accused so that the victim gets justice.”

Abhijit R. Shankar, superintendent of police of Auraiya, said the investigation was on.

Tripathi claimed he was innocent. “The woman is involved in illegal activities. I want her to vacate my house but she wants to capture it and is therefore making wild allegations against me,” he said.

A source in the BJP said Tripathi runs Saraswati Shishu Mandir, a school that propagates Hindutva, at Dibiyapur in Auraiya district. He has held several posts in the BJP and is currently looking for some new assignments in the party.