Ex-minister Raghavji arrested on sodomy charges

Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh finance minister Raghavji, who had to quit after his servant levelled allegations of sodomy against him, was arrested here Tuesday, police said.The former minister was arrested from a house in Kohefiza area of the city and taken to Habibganj police station, a police official said.Police had Sunday registered a first information report (FIR) against the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister following his domestic help Rajkumar Dangi's complaint.Dangi has alleged that Raghavji sexually abused him for over three years on the promise of getting him a government job.[caption id="attachment_944089" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Raghavji after his arrest. PTI[/caption]Dangi claimed that a sex CD had also been made.Raghavji had gone missing from Vidisha after the FIR was registered.The Congress accused Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of trying to shield his colleague but the BJP rejected the charge. Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh said the charges against Raghavji were condemnable."The chief minister tried to save him but could not," party general secretary Digvijaya Singh told reporters in New Delhi.Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said the allegations levelled by Digvijaya Singh were "baseless" and "untrue"."He is fabricating lies for electoral gains. Nobody trusts him," Bajpai said.BJP leaders rejected the Congress's allegation that Chouhan had seen the CDs. They said that Dangi had not given the CD with his complaint to police and there was no question of the chief minister viewing them.[embedalsosee]Chouhan also said he had not seen the CD.Raghavji was forced to resign from the cabinet Friday on Chouhan's direction. He was Sunday expelled from primary membership of BJP.IANS