Patna, Jan 29 (IANS) A woman, allegedly kidnapped by ruling Congress legislator Sidharth Kumar Singh, on Friday appeared before police along with his driver Pankaj Kumar Sharma whom she claimed to have married. She denied being kidnapped, police said.
“Nidhi along with Pankaj reached the residence of Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj to inform him that she had married driver Pankaj and legislator Sidharth Kumar Singh was not at all involved in it,” a police official said.
She told police that since her family members were against Pankaj Kumar Sharma and not ready for their marriage, she felt “forced to elope with Pankaj and marry him at a temple in Kasi in Uttar Pradesh”, police said.
In his police complaint, the young woman’s father accused the Congress legislator of having kidnapped his daughter. Sidharth Kumar Singh, who is in his early 30s, has already served a jail term for murder.
He eloped with the young woman who is in her early 20s in the past also, residents informed police.
Legislator Sidharth Kumar Singh, who also appeared in the Sachivalya police station here, said it was he who had persuaded Nidhi and Pankaj to surrender before police.
“I was in serious trouble as an FIR was lodged against me for allegedly kidnapping her. Truth is that I had nothing to do with it,” he said.
According to police, Nidhi has submitted a petition in police station seeking security as she was threatened to be killed by her father Abhay Sharma and her brother Rahul Kumar.
Earlier, ruling Janata Dal-United demanded that Congress party should take action against its legislator Sidharth Kumar Singh for allegedly kidnapping a young woman.
“Congress should take action against its legislator just like we acted against ours,” JD-U state president Vashsisht Narain Singh said, referring to the suspension this month of Janata Dal-United lawmaker Sarfaraz Alam who was booked for allegedly misbehaving with a couple on board a train.
Congress and JD-U are members of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Allaince) that came to power in Bihar after the asembly elections in October-November 2015.
The JD-U leader said the accusation against the Congress legislator who represents Bikram assembly constituency in Bihar, was bad for the image of the state government.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies Lok Janshakti Party, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, and Hindustani Awam Morcha have targeted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the incident, reminding him it could be another proof of the “return of jungle raj” in the state.