Niranjan Hiranandani denies trying to destroy rape evidence

Industrialist Niranjan Hiranandani on Wednesday filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court, denying allegations that he had tried to destroy the evidence of an alleged gang rape committed on a Powai woman.

The affidavit dismisses all the charges levelled against him as false and unfounded. The affidavit was filed during the hearing of a petition filed by the woman. Earlier, investigations were transferred from the local police to the crime branch on court order.

The rape survivor has claimed that Hiranandani has been trying to forcibly evacuate them from a piece of land in Jai Bhim Nagar. "With a view to dispossessing and throwing away the poor and illiterate occupants of the said area, Hiranandani along with his hirelings is adopting all pressure tactics and creating terror with money and muscle power," the petition has alleged.

According to the woman, she was raped by the senior inspector of Powai police station and two goons at a community temple on June 14 morning. The woman has claimed that she was called to the community temple by senior inspector YL Jadhav and that when she reached there, she found the cop in an inebriated condition.

Later, after the incident, when she went to the police station, the police refused to register her complaint and send her for medical examination, she has alleged in her petition. The woman has further claimed that Hiranandani and others then tried to demolish the temple itself in order to destroy evidence of gang rape.

The HC had earlier observed that the allegations were of serious nature and that an independent agency like the crime branch should immediately take over the probe. The court had also directed the police to provide protection to the petitioner free of cost.