Delhi: Sahitya Akademi Award winner Nilotpal Mrinal booked for rape
What's the story
Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author Nilotpal Mrinal has been accused of allegedly raping a 32-year-old woman for 10 years under the pretext of marriage, the Delhi Police said on Monday. An FIR was registered at Delhi's Timarpur Police Station. The woman, who belongs to Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, alleged that she met Mrinal about 10 years ago on a social media platform and they became friends.
Context
Why does this story matter?
According to Delhi Police statistics released in February 2022, every day at least five rape cases were registered in the national capital last year. The Delhi Police said there was a 21.6% increase in rape cases with 1,969 cases registered last year as compared to the 1,618 cases in 2020. There was a spike of 17.5% in molestation cases (2,429) registered last year.
Later apologized
Mrinal allegedly abused, raped her after eye surgery
The woman—who currently lives in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar—has been preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. In her complaint, she mentioned a 2013 incident Mrinal allegedly abused her after her eye surgery. "I started crying...he then forced himself upon me...I cried but he raped me and left. The next day, he came and started apologizing. He also promised to marry me," the FIR stated.
Threats
'Marriage promise to avoid police action'
Mrinal repeatedly promised to marry her to avoid police action, the woman claimed. However, chats on his phone revealed that he was in relationships with other women, too, to whom he had made the same promise. The FIR also stated that "a police officer called up the woman's father and told him that she (the woman) is blackmailing [Mrinal] to extort money from him."
No arrests yet
FIR mentions rape, abuse
The Delhi Police registered an FIR under the Indian Penal Code Sections pertaining to rape and causing hurt on April 6 on the basis of the woman's complaint. The FIR mentioned the author had hurled abuses and beat her up after her eye surgery at AIIMS, New Delhi. The police said an investigation into the matter was underway. No arrests have been made yet.
Information
Who is Nilotpal Mrinal?
Mrinal is an author, poet, singer socio-political activist, and social media influencer. He born was on December 25, 1984, in Jharkhand (erstwhile Bihar). He is known for his books Dark Horse, Aughad, and Yaar Jadugar. In 2016, he was conferred with the Sahitya Akademi Award.