Indian police book senior Minister of western state for raping woman

Indian police have booked a senior Minister of the western state of Rajasthan for allegedly raping and assaulting a woman last week. "Minister of State for Dairy Babu Lal Nagar was booked on rape and assault charges Tuesday," senior police official Bhawani Singh Shekhawat told the media Wednesday. However, the minister had claimed that it's "political conspiracy" just to tarnish his image ahead of the assembly elections in the state. "I am ready to face any probe in the matter as I know the woman was trying to defame me on the diktat of rival leaders," he said. The police official said that the woman had alleged in her complaint that the minister called her to his official residence in state capital Jaipur on Sept. 11 and then raped her and beaten her up.