Raghavji arrested over sodomy charges

Disgraced former Madhya Pradesh finance minister Raghavji was on Tuesday arrested here following sodomy allegations levelled against him by his domestic servant, Rajkumar Dangi, police said.

“Raghavji has been arrested from a flat in Koh-e-Fiza locality in the old city area of Bhopal where he was hiding,” Inspector-General Upendra Jain said. The door of the flat was locked from outside and Raghavji was inside, police said. Acting on a tip, police reached the flat.

“When nobody responded, police broke open the door and found Raghvaji,” the IG said. After his formal arrest, he is being brought to the Habibganj police station, where an FIR against him had been registered two days earlier.

Raghavji, however, has termed the allegations against him as "wrong".  

Soon after the registration of the case, Raghavji, who celebrated his 79th birthday on Sunday, went missing from Vidisha. The FIR was filed by his servant, who alleged that Raghavji had abused him for the last three-and-a-half years on the promise of getting him a government job.

Dangi later confided in the suspended Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Shiv Shankar Pateria about his ordeal, who asked him to record the act.

The victim prepared 22 purported CDs, which showed Raghavji in the act, including one in the Rewanchal Express Train.

After the exposure Raghavji resigned from the Cabinet. He was expelled from the BJP on Sunday. The  Assembly elections due later this year.