Guwahati: Assam police have registered a case against minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain for allegedly raping and threatening a 24-year old married woman in Nagaon district, a senior police officer said on Friday.

Gohain has also filed complaints of blackmailing against the woman and her family, his officer on special duty Sanjiv Goswami said when contacted, claiming that the case against the minister has been withdrawn.

When asked about the withdrawal, Nagaon police station officer-in-charge Ananta Das said the woman had pleaded to withdraw the case in court but the “case still stands… we will do our own investigation”.

Nagaon deputy superintendent of police (headquarter) Sabita Das said the case was registered against Gohain on August 2 after receiving a complaint at Nagaon police station. “We have registered the case. The investigation has already begun and we will proceed as per law,” she said.

Das, however, refused to share any details about the case.

“The FIR was registered under IPC sections 417 (cheating), 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation). We are investigating and have already noted the lady's statement,” a senior officer said, adding that the woman had refused medical examination.

“The complaint says that the alleged incident took place seven to eight months ago. Both Gohain and the woman knew each other for a long time and the Union minister used to visit her home,” the official said.

Gohain had allegedly committed the crime at the woman's home when her husband and other family members were not present, he said.

Asked if the minister’s arrest was imminent, the police official said, “We are probing now. If required, arrest will happen only after the probe is complete.”

Gohain did not answer the phone when contacted for a comment, while Goswami said the minister “will not speak to the media”. When asked about the alleged rape case, Goswami said it had been withdrawn. “There is no case as of today and as of now,” he said.