Ravindra Nath Tripathi has denied the allegation (File)

A rape case has been filed against a BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh and his six family members. The woman, 40, had first filed a complaint against Bhadohi MLA Ravindra Nath Tripathi's nephew for allegedly raping her after promising to marry her. She later added the leader's name to her complaint, the police said.

"The complainant had said that the MLA's nephew Sandeep Tiwari had established sexual relations after the promise of marriage. She later levelled similar charges against the MLA and other people of the family. We had received a complaint, and on the basis of the complaint, we have registered a case against all those who have been named. A team has been constituted to investigate the case," Superintendent of Police (SP) Ram Badan Singh said.

The woman has alleged that the MLA's nephew, who she had met on a train, sexually exploited her for six years. She said when she asked him to marry her, she was harassed.

According to the woman, before the UP Assembly election in 2017, she was confined to a hotel for 30 days during which the MLA and other men- Chandrabhushan Tripathi, Deepak Tiwari, Nitish Tiwari and Prakash Tiwari- allegedly raped her.

The MLA has claimed that the accusations are part of a political conspiracy to defame him. "I and my family are ready to be hanged if any of the allegations prove to be true after probe," he said.

The city police chief says investigation in the case is on. "The complainant has talked about several places. I have entrusted the probe with my additional SP. We will take action based on the findings of the investigation," he said.

The complaint has come weeks after expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was sentenced to jail for the "remainder of his natural biological life" for raping a woman in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, in 2017.