Kartik Maharaj summoned by cops in ‘rape’ case

Kolkata: In a significant development in the case filed against Padma Shri awardee Kartik Maharaj over allegations of rape, police have summoned him to appear before the investigating officer at Nabagram Police Station on Tuesday.

The case stems from a recent complaint by a woman who alleged that in 2013, Kartik Maharaj helped her secure a job at a school in Nabagram. She was provided accommodation in a room on the fifth floor of the school building. According to the complaint, Kartik Maharaj visited her there on multiple occasions and allegedly raped her several times.

Allegedly, Kartik Maharaj also called her to Beldanga Ashram where she was sexually assaulted for five consecutive days. When the woman got pregnant, Kartik Maharaj compelled her to abort.

Police personnel from the Nabagram Police Station, along with officers from the Beldanga Police Station, on Monday, went to the ashram to serve the summons.

However, the maharaj was not there when the police reached the ashram. In his absence, cops handed over the summon to a representative of Katik Maharaj and left.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that BJP was trying to shield a rapist, sharing a video of the victim woman where she can be heard saying no one forced her to lodge the complaint, TMC posted on X: “In an attempt to shield their rapist ally Kartik Maharaj, @BJP4India is trying to give the matter a political colour. This is a party that enables rapists, sympathises with predators, and leaves survivors abandoned. The victim herself has made it clear that there are no party colours involved. But instead of acknowledging her decade-long trauma, BJP is now trying to strip her of the agency to protest against their favoured sex offender. Has @NCWIndia taken cognizance? If not, why? Do survivors stop mattering when the accused is associated with BJP? Is women’s suffering disposable when it’s politically inconvenient?”