Bihar: Congress Fields Brajesh Kumar Pandey, Brother Of NDTV Anchor Ravish, Who Faced Charges Of Raping A Minor Dalit Girl

Brajesh Kumar Pandey, a senior Congress leader and brother of NDTV anchor Ravish, will be party’s candidate from Govindganj assembly constituency of Purvi Champaran district in Bihar.

In Feb 2017, Brajesh Kumar Pandey resigned as party’s state vice-president after a minor Dalit girl accused him of sexually abusing her. Brajesh Kumar Pandey was charged under the stringent law on sexual crimes against children - the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was also charged under Sections 354 and 376 of the IPC, and other Sections of the SC/ST Act.

The victim, a Dalit and a daughter of a former Congress minister, had charged a young businessman Nikhil Priyadarshi, son of retired IAS officer Krishna Bihari Prasad, with rape and running a sex racket in Patna.

The victim had alleged that Priyadarshi cheated her in the name of marriage and blackmailed her along with his brother, another co-accused and Brajesh Kumar Pandey. The victim also alleged that Brajesh Kumar Pandey, who was introduced to her as a big leader, used to threaten her. She also accused him of being involved in a sex racket.

However in a bizarre twist to the case in 2017, the victim moven a compromise petition before the special judge hearing the case, Justice Akhilanand Dubey, praying that she was ready to marry the accused Nikhil.

The petition, which has the signature of the ‘victim’, says that since the family elders from both sides have suggested that a compromise should be reached between the two families, she was making a fresh appeal to start life afresh.

According to this report in Congress party publication National Herald, Ravish had rubbished the allegations against his brother.

Brajesh was fielded as the Congress candidate in 2015 assembly election but lost to his BJP opponent by over 28,000 VOTES.

Congress is part of the so-called ‘mahagathbandhan’ or Grand Alliance headed by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). While RJD is contesting on 144 seats, the Congress will be fielding 70 and the left parties on 29.