JD(U) MLA Sarfaraz Alam has been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a woman who was travelling with her husband on the Guwahati-Rajdhani Express train. An FIR has been filed against him.
Sarfaraz claims he was not on the train and had travelled from Katihar to Patna that day in his private vehicle. However, CCTV footage has been released that shows Sarfaraz talking on his phone at the Patna junction railway station on 17 January – the day the alleged incident occurred.
Sarfaraz Alam, JD(U) MLAI did not travel in the said train on that date. I request the media to ask the complainant if they met me on the train. When I was not travelling in the train how come they met me and (so) the question of my touching and abusing the man and his wife does not arise.
The MLA has been summoned by the Patna railway police.
So far, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not commented on the issue. When asked, RLD Chief and coalition partner Lalu Prasad Yadav said Alam must be punished if there was evidence of wrongdoing. However, he left it to the MLA’s party to take action.
Tej Pratap Yadav, Lalu’s son and Bihar’s health minister, had strong views on the subject. Yadav said that the MLA must be “sent to jail”.
However, in his written complaint to the Railway Police Force (RPF), the passenger’s husband, Indrapal Singh Bedi, said Alam was travelling without a ticket and the MLA and his bodyguard were drunk.
Statements of the accused, victims and passengers are set to be taken.
P N Mishra, Superintendent of Police, RailwaysI have asked the team to complete the task in next 72 hours and on the basis of facts collected, if need arises, we will question the MLA concerned.
An FIR was lodged yesterday against the MLA on the basis of a complaint received by RPF from Bedi for allegedly forcibly evicting him from his seat and abusing him and his wife when they protested.
Bedi stated in his complaint that the incident occurred an hour before the train reached Patna on Sunday night.
The RPF team which received the complaint onboard returned to Patna yesterday and an FIR was registered with Government Railway Police Patna this morning, the SP said.
JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said law will take its own course and the police were proceeding in the case without government interference.
Tej Pratap Yadav, Bihar’s health minister believes Alam should be sent to jail. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav says that is there is evidence, action should be taken.
There has been no legal action against him so far, besides the filing of the FIR.