A Province 2 lawmaker allegedly tried to offer hush money to a woman whose 12-year-old daughter had been raped by a 50-year-old man in Gamahariya village, Rautahat.

Abdul Kalam Ajad, who was elected the Province Assembly member from Rautahat Constituency-4, is accused of siding with the child rapist and offering Rs 120,000 to the victim’s mother to buy her silence.

The case was revealed after the girl’s relatives filed a police complaint.

On September 5, 50-year-old Sahamad Ansari had raped the girl when she was alone in her house.

The girl’s mother said assemblyman Ajad called for a meeting at his house in the wake of the incident and tried to bribe her.

“Lawmaker Ajad had also asked Ansari to attend the meeting, and they offered me Rs 120,000 as a fee to keep the case a secret,” she said.

Ajaya Miya, the girl’s brother-in-law, said lawmaker Abdul and some villagers were present at the meeting.

“They asked several questions about the incident as if they were investigators. They then offered money to settle the case,” he said.  

Lawmaker Ajad has denied the allegation.

“I had no intent of protecting the rapist. I had called for the meeting at my home to discuss the incident. The meeting did not take any decision of paying money to the girl’s family,” he said.   

Superintendent of Police Kedar Dhakal said Ansari was arrested following the complaint registered by the girl’s family at Garuda Area Police Office. Gamahariya locals staged a rally outside the police office following Ansari’s arrest on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the girl’s mother has said that she has been receiving threats from Ansari’s family after police arrested him.

12-year-old girl raped in Birgunj

PARSA: A 15-year-old boy raped a 12-year-old girl at Murli in Birgunj-12, Parsa, on Sunday. DSP Satya Narayan Thapa said the boy has been remanded to a five-day judicial custody by the District Court. The boy has admitted to the crime.