NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A minister in western India's Rajasthan state has resigned after a woman accused him of rape, the Times of India reported on Friday.
The victim says that she was raped by Babu Lal Nagar, Rajasthan's minister for Khadi (handspun clothing) and Dairy, on September 11 in his government residence and has filed a police complaint against him.
Nagar, 53, has denied the charges.
"I have resigned so that there is no question mark on the impartiality of the police investigation against me," Nagar was quoted as saying. "I dismiss the allegations and want to state that it is a conspiracy by my rivals to malign me and my party."
But the victim's lawyer says there is enough evidence to prove the crime, including evidence from the clothes she was wearing at the time of the assault.
There are often reports of politicians being accused of gender crimes in India. Activists say the powerful abuse their positions, while their supporters say the politicians are victims of conspiracies by their opponents.
Six serving state legislators have been charged with rape, while 36 others including two national parliamentarians have faced charges of sexual harassment, molestation or assault on a woman before holding an assembly seat, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms, a Delhi-based think-tank.
In March, a minister from the eastern state of Odisha quit after his daughter-in-law lodged a complaint against him and his family for demanding dowry, an act which is illegal in India.
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