Mumbai: Steel magnate booked on charges of rape

The Bandra Kurla Complex police have registered an FIR against Sajjan Jindal the Managing Director of JSW Steel for allegedly sexually harassing and assaulting a 30yearold woman multiple times over a period of nearly two yearsAccording to police sources the FIR was registered on Wednesday after the complainant who had already submitted an application seeking a case be filed against Jindal in February approached the court over the delay in action by the police midday reached out to Jindal on Friday via his contact number mentioned by the complainant in her statement as well as to his PR and legal teams on SaturdayThe victim had submitted her application to the police in this regard on February 13 this year When there was no action on the same the complainant approached the Bombay High Court earlier this year The court sought a response from the police who said that they would be registering an FIR which was subsequently filed on WednesdayAccording to the FIR accessed by midday the complainant met Jindal in October 2021 when they were both in Dubai to watch an Indian Premier League IPL match Both were in the VIP box at the time and the complainantrsquos brother too was present They allegedly got talking and agreed to keep in touch as her brother wanted to explore a possible business association with Jindal For the same reason the complainantrsquos brother asked her to keep in touch with JindalThe woman has said in her statement that upon her return to India in December 2021 she messaged Jindal and he responded They met again in Jaipur later in 2021 at the wedding of a prominent politicianrsquos son where Jindal allegedly tried to get friendly with herFollowing this he allegedly started referring to her as lsquobabersquo and lsquobabyrsquo in his text messages and insisted on meeting in private settings citing concerns about his lsquoimagersquoThe complainant however insisted on meeting for coffee in public and Jindal allegedly kept expressing his inclination towards a romantic relationshipThe FIR states that on December 23 2021 Jindal shared his credit card details with the complainant via WhatsApp which she did not use Subsequently the woman met him on the next day at a suite in the Taj Landrsquos End hotel in Bandra which she booked in her name allegedly at Jindalrsquos behest During this meeting Jindal allegedly tried to get physically intimate with her but she warded off his advancesldquoHe later kept sending me messages with lsquokissrsquo and similar emojis and requested me to send lsquohotrsquo pictures of myself I chose not to respond to these messages Then on December 26 2021 he visited my residence and we went for a drive during which he held my hand and offered to give me a bungalow and car and set up a business for meWhen I broached the subject of a legal relationship he said that it would not be acceptable in India but that we could live as man and wife abroad I refusedrdquo the complainant has said in her statement to the police which is part of the FIRShe has added in her statement that Jindal kept trying to persuade her to start an intimate relationship and she kept insisting that this would only be possible after they got married During these conversations Jindal is alleged to have displayed possessive behaviour towards herFurther Jindal allegedly forced her into some degree of intimacy on December 27 2021 when she had gone to his Pedder Road residence to discuss their marriage plans due to which the complainant left abruptly This was allegedly repeated at his office in BKC on January 5 2022On January 24 2022 the complainant had gone to his office in BKC when he invited her to see the penthouse There he allegedly forced himself on her and when she reacted angrily he allegedly calmed her down asking her not to create a scene in his office and also said that he would marry her When she left he allegedly reduced and ultimately cut off all communication threatening her with dire consequences if she did not leave him aloneldquoI sent him a WhatsApp message on June 28 2022 saying I wanted to talk about whatever had happened but he blocked my number I was hesitant to approach the authorities due to his stature but the events had taken a toll on me and my family noticed this When they asked me what was wrong I told them the truth and they encouraged me to file a complaint after which I submitted an application at the BKC police station on February 13 this yearrdquo the complainantsrsquo statement saysThe FIR was filed on Wednesday under sections 376 rape 354 assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty and 506 criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code ldquoThe case has been registered and is being investigated based on the evidence provided by the complainant The accused will be called in for inquiries as and when requiredrdquo a senior officer with the Mumbai Police told midday on condition of anonymityJindal denies allegationsIn an official statement on Sunday Jindal denied all the allegations and said Mr Sajjan Jindal denies these false and baseless allegations He is committed to providing full cooperation throughout the investigation As the investigation is ongoing we will refrain from commenting further at this stage We kindly request you to respect the privacy of the family