In a significant political development in Uttarakhand, BJP national general secretary and state in-charge Dushyant Gautam has taken legal action against former party MLA Suresh Rathore and actor Urmila Sanawar. The move comes in the wake of a raging controversy involving alleged audio clips related to the high-profile Rishikesh resort murder case.
Police Complaint Lodged Over Defamation Claims
Dushyant Gautam filed a formal complaint at the Dalanwala police station in Dehradun on Monday night. In his statement to the police, Gautam vehemently rejected the allegations circulating in the audio clips, where Rathore purportedly referred to a "VIP" involved in the murder case, suggesting it was Gautam. The BJP leader asserted that his name was dragged into the sensitive case as part of a meticulously planned conspiracy designed to tarnish his reputation.
Gautam's complaint did not stop at naming Rathore and Sanawar. It also implicated the state units of the Congress party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD). He accused these political opponents of amplifying the allegedly fabricated content on social media to further the conspiracy against him and other senior BJP leaders.
FIR Registered Under Multiple Charges
Following the complaint, the Dehradun police acted swiftly. Inspector Santosh Singh Kunwar confirmed that an FIR has been registered based on Gautam's allegations. The case invokes several serious sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
The charges pressed include:
- BNS Section 336(4) pertaining to forgery.
- BNS Section 353(2) for statements conducing to public mischief.
- BNS Section 356(3) for defamation.
- BNS Section 61(2) for criminal conspiracy.
- Sections 66D and 66E of the IT Act.
Inspector Kunwar stated that a thorough investigation has been launched and the accused individuals will be questioned soon regarding the serious allegations.
Accused Absconding and Facing Other Cases
The controversy took a new turn when Suresh Rathore, after the audio clips surfaced, claimed that the recordings were "AI-generated" and fake. Currently, both Rathore and Urmila Sanawar are reportedly untraceable, adding another layer of complexity to the police probe.
Complicating matters further, the duo are already co-accused in two separate cases registered earlier in Haridwar. One of these cases was filed based on a complaint by former BJP member Arti Gaur, whose name was also mentioned in the contentious audio clips. The Dehradun police have additionally served a formal notice to Rathore in connection with the latest complaint.
This incident highlights the increasingly complex intersection of politics, crime, and technology in India. The use of alleged audio clips to make serious accusations has sparked a major legal and political battle, with the police now tasked with unraveling the truth behind the recordings and the motives of those involved.
