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Atul Rai
Atul Rai
Atul Rai
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Atul is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament from the Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. According to his election filing he had assets worth more than 6 crore rupees.[1]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Atul Rai was born on 20 February 1982 in Birpur village of Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh in a Bhumihar family. His father, Bharat Singh Rai, was an employee of Diesel Locomotive Works in Varanasi. Atul got his early education from Kendriya Vidyalaya, DLW, Varanasi. He graduated from Harish Chandra Postgraduate College, Varanasi. After graduation, he started his own business.

His brother is Pawan Kumar Rai, and his wife is Priyanka Singh.[2]

Political career

[edit]

Atul Rai joined Bahujan Samaj Party in 2015. He contested the assembly election of Uttar Pradesh in 2017 from Zamania (Assembly constituency) and garnered 67,559 votes. In his first election, he lost a close contest with 9,264 votes.

In the 2019 General Lok sabha election, Atul Rai Contested the Parliament election from Ghosi Loksabha Constituency and won the election by a margin of 122000+votes.

Rape allegations

[edit]

In May 2019, a woman accused Atul Rai of rape at his home in Varanasi. Mr. Rai, who denied the accusation, was arrested a month later and has been in jail since then.

In November 2020, Atul Rai's brother registered a police complaint accusing the victim of committing forgery. The woman called the accusations as harassment and an attempt to force her to withdraw the rape charge. However, the court, in August 2021, issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against her.

In desperation, the woman and a male friend travelled from their state in Uttar Pradesh to the capital, Delhi, and on 16 August 2021, self-immolated themselves outside India's Supreme Court. They were live on Facebook as they sprinkled petrol on themselves and lit the fire. Before setting themselves alight, the duo named several police officials, including then SSP Varanasi Amit Pathak and CO Bhelupur Amrendra Singh, and a judge of MPMLA court Prayagraj, accusing them of conspiring with Mr. Rai.

The man died at the hospital on Saturday, 21 August 2021. The woman succumbed to her death on the evening of Tuesday, 24 August 2021.

After this incident, the Yogi Adityanath government registered an FIR against Rai and ex-IPS Amitabh Thakur, who had announced to contest the election against Yogi Adityanath while leaving everyone else. Thakur was arrested immediately after the registration of the FIR in a highly contentious manner. Thakur called this a targeted and selective political vendetta. The case is presently in Court. [3][4][5][6][7][8]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Atul Rai

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from Grokipedia

Atul Rai (born 20 February 1982) is an Indian politician who served as a for the in from 2019 to 2024, representing the . Elected in the with 573,829 votes, Rai's tenure was marked by prolonged incarceration following his surrender in June 2019 amid multiple criminal cases. Rai faced significant legal scrutiny, including a 2019 rape accusation by a woman who later died by in 2021 while protesting the case's handling; he was acquitted of the charge by a Varanasi court in August 2022 after the complainant was deemed absent and evidence insufficient. He was also acquitted in December 2024 of charges related to a 2011 double murder. In July 2025, the attached properties valued at ₹4.18 crore linked to Rai in a probe tied to illegal activities. These proceedings highlight ongoing investigations into his financial and criminal associations, though acquittals in major cases underscore challenges in prosecutorial outcomes.

Early life and background

Family and upbringing

Atul Rai was born on 20 February 1982 at the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in , . His father, Bharat Singh Rai, served as an employee at DLW, a major railway manufacturing unit, while his mother is Kusumlata Singh. The family originates from Birpur village in , but Rai was raised in due to his father's job posting there. Public records provide scant additional details on his siblings or precise childhood circumstances, though his early life was shaped by the modest, working-class environment of a railway family in the region.

Education and early career

Atul Rai completed his early schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya affiliated with the Works (DLW) in , where his father, Rai, was employed. He later obtained a degree from Post Graduate College in . After graduation, Rai pursued a in business, primarily securing contracts related to railway projects in eastern , which contributed to his accumulation of wealth and local influence. His professional activities were closely linked to rivalries over government contracts in the region. Rai's early career also involved associations with criminal networks, notably joining the gang of in the early 2000s, leading to his first registered case at Manduadih in . By the time of his entry into electoral politics, he faced over two dozen criminal charges, including under the Gangster Act in 2009 and 2011, encompassing allegations of , attempt to murder, extortion, and other offenses across and adjacent districts.

Political career

Associations and entry into politics

Atul Rai, born in , , transitioned from business activities to ahead of the , securing the (BSP) nomination for the in eastern as part of the (SP)-BSP alliance. His entry leveraged regional influence derived from longstanding associations with , a gangster-turned-politician controlling networks in eastern , including ties to Ansari's gang that extended to construction and other enterprises under Ansari's influence. These connections, documented in enforcement actions and investigations, positioned Rai within a nexus of criminal-political operations in areas like Mau and , where Ansari's operatives dominated illicit economies before formal political bids. Rai's campaign unfolded amid an April 2019 FIR alleging rape, prompting him to go underground, yet BSP chief publicly defended his candidacy as a duty to combat false cases and mobilized party workers for outreach in , a former Left stronghold with and Muslim voter bases. He secured victory on May 23, 2019, defeating (BJP) incumbent Harishankar Tiwari by 122,568 votes, marking his debut as a despite being an absconder at the time of polling. Rai surrendered to authorities in on June 22, 2019, post-election, formalizing his parliamentary role while facing ongoing probes into prior criminal matters linked to his pre-political network.

2019 Lok Sabha election

Atul Rai, a (BSP) candidate in alliance with the (SP), contested the in during the . Ghosi, a general category seat, had been won by the (BJP) in 2014, making it a competitive battleground in the eastern region known for caste-based politics involving , , and communities. Rai's candidacy leveraged BSP's traditional support base, supplemented by the alliance's appeal to Other Backward Classes (OBC) voters. Polling in occurred on May 19, 2019, as part of the seventh and final phase of the national elections, with a of approximately 58%. During the campaign, Rai faced scrutiny over prior criminal cases, including a rape allegation that prompted him to seek ; the denied interim protection from arrest on , 2019, citing the seriousness of the charges. Despite this, Rai campaigned actively, positioning himself against the BJP's incumbency and emphasizing local development issues. Results were declared on May 23, 2019, with Rai defeating the incumbent BJP MP Harinarayan by a margin of 122,568 votes, securing 5,51,135 votes to Rajbhar's 4,28,567. This upset reversed the BJP's victory in the constituency and highlighted the SP-BSP alliance's success in consolidating anti-BJP votes in the region, though the national outcome favored the BJP-led NDA. Rai's win occurred amid his history of over 20 pending criminal cases, including serious offenses like and attempt to , which did not deter voter support in .

Pre-2019 criminal cases

Atul Rai, a political figure from in , had accumulated at least 21 criminal cases by 2019, primarily in and adjacent areas, involving charges such as , attempt to murder, , and , as documented in police records and his election affidavits. These cases established his reputation as a local strongman with ties to organized crime networks in eastern during the 2000s and 2010s. Rai was charged under Section 3(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act in multiple instances, including Crime No. 76/2009 at Manduadih police station in Varanasi (sessions trial No. 57A/2011 before the Special Judge in Varanasi) and Crime No. 545/2009 at Rohaniya police station in Varanasi. Additional Gangster Act bookings occurred in 2011, linked to his alleged involvement in gang-related activities such as muscle exertion for securing railway and government contracts. A notable pre-2019 case was the double at Cantt police station in , where Rai and seven co-accused, including Sujit Singh Belwa and Abhishek Singh, were charged with kidnapping and killing Ranjit Singh and Vinod Gaur on August 25, ; the victims' bodies were exhumed two days later after a . The FIR invoked sections for and related offenses under the . Rai was acquitted in this case in December 2024 by the Special Judge (Gangster Act/MP-MLA) due to insufficient evidence. In 2017, an attempt to charge was filed against Rai for allegedly firing at a toll plaza in Dafi, Varanasi, reflecting patterns of violent intimidation in his criminal portfolio. Earlier cases, dating back to the mid-2000s, included his first FIR at Manduadih and associations with the gang, which facilitated his entry into local power structures through and contract monopolies. Many of these pre-2019 cases resulted in acquittals or were pending at the time of his 2019 Lok Sabha candidacy, though they underscored a history of heinous offenses as noted in court observations.

2019 rape and extortion allegations

In March 2019, a 24-year-old woman from eastern Uttar Pradesh alleged that Atul Rai, then a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate for the Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency, raped her at his apartment in Varanasi on March 7, while also recording a video of the act. She claimed the incident occurred after Rai lured her to the location under false pretenses, and that he and his associates subsequently used the video to threaten and extort her. The woman filed a formal on May 1, 2019, at police station in , leading to an under sections of the for rape (Section 376), criminal intimidation (Section 506), and related offenses against Rai and three others. Police investigations included medical examinations and searches of 's properties, amid reports of prior criminal cases against him involving and other charges. Rai, who won the seat in the May 19, 2019, elections as part of the SP-BSP alliance, initially sought and protection from in the , which denied interim relief on May 17, citing the seriousness of the charges. He evaded post-election and surrendered on June 22, 2019, in a court, where he was remanded to 14 days' judicial custody. Rai's brother, Pavan Kumar Singh, countered the allegations by filing a claiming the woman and a companion operated a racket to extort from prominent individuals, supported by purported evidence of similar prior activities. This led to an against the complainant under sections for and , highlighting conflicting narratives in the case proceedings.

Abetment to suicide case

In August 2021, a 24-year-old woman who had filed a complaint against Atul Rai in May 2019, along with her friend Rajesh (aged 27), died after setting themselves on fire outside the in on August 16. The woman had alleged in her 2019 FIR that Rai and associates had d and extorted her at a flat in , though Rai was later acquitted of those charges by a special MP/MLA court in on August 6, 2022, citing insufficient evidence and inconsistencies in the complainant's account. Prior to the self-immolation, the pair conducted a Live video claiming and threats from Rai's supporters amid delays in the trial, which they said had driven them to desperation; however, police investigations attributed the act primarily to frustration over perceived judicial inaction rather than direct instigation by Rai. Following the incident, registered an against Rai under Section 306 (abetment to ) of the , along with other sections for criminal intimidation, based on the video statements and prior enmity linked to the rape case. The trial proceedings in the abetment case have continued in a court despite Rai's acquittal in the underlying rape matter, with the prosecution arguing indirect pressure through political influence contributed to the victims' mental state. In January 2024, the granted Rai interim bail until March 22 on medical grounds, citing health concerns after over four years in custody, but denied regular bail in May 2024, emphasizing the gravity of the charges and ongoing investigation. On December 10, 2024, the dismissed Rai's petition to quash the trial entirely, ruling that the allegations warranted full judicial scrutiny and rejecting claims of political motivation behind the . Rai remains implicated in the case as of late 2024, with no final verdict reported, amid separate arrests of figures like former IPS officer for allegedly encouraging the suicides through activism against Rai.

Post-2019 acquittals and ongoing matters

Following his arrest in 2019, Atul Rai was acquitted in multiple pre-existing criminal cases by courts in Varanasi and surrounding jurisdictions. On August 6, 2022, a special court for MPs and MLAs in Varanasi acquitted Rai in the 2019 rape case filed by a 24-year-old woman, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt; the complainant had died by self-immolation outside the Supreme Court in August 2021 along with a witness. On September 14, 2022, the same court acquitted him in an 11-year-old attempt to murder case stemming from a 2011 incident. On December 22, 2023, Rai and three co-accused were acquitted in a 2009 case under the Gangster Act by a special judge in Varanasi, with the court finding insufficient evidence of organized crime involvement. Most recently, on December 21, 2024, a Varanasi special judge acquitted Rai and seven others in a 2011 double murder case, citing lack of prosecutorial evidence linking them to the crime. Despite these acquittals, Rai has remained in custody primarily due to an ongoing abetment to case connected to the 2021 self-immolation death of the complainant. The rejected Rai's third application on May 17, 2024, and on December 11, 2024, dismissed his to quash the trial proceedings, directing the lower court to expedite hearings while upholding the charges under Section 306 of the for abetting . An interim on medical grounds was granted by the on January 30, 2024, valid until March 22, 2024, but Rai continued incarceration thereafter amid unresolved medical and legal reviews. As of October 2025, trial in the abetment case persists in a sessions court, with Rai lodged in Naini Jail, , since June 2019.

Current status and legacy

Imprisonment since 2019

Atul Rai was arrested on June 22, 2019, in following allegations of and leveled by a woman who claimed the incident occurred at his residence in May 2019; he denied the charges and has remained in judicial custody since that date, primarily at Naini Central Jail in . Despite an in the case by a court on August 6, 2022—where the judge cited insufficient evidence and noted the complainant's actions as potentially motivated by ulterior factors—Rai has not been released, as he faces ongoing trials in related matters including abetment to suicide stemming from the same complainant, who self-immolated outside the in August 2021 along with her friend. Rai has received temporary relief through and interim on medical grounds, such as a two-day parole in January 2020 to attend his mother's funeral and interim bail granted by the on January 31, 2024, but he has consistently returned to custody afterward, with no permanent bail secured in the abetment case. On December 10, 2024, the dismissed his petition to quash proceedings in the abetment case, ruling that his prior did not negate evidence of incitement under Sections 306 and 506 of the , thereby upholding the trial's continuation. Additional acquittals, including in a 2011 double murder case on December 21, 2024, by a special court, have not altered his detention status due to the unresolved suicide abetment charges and potential appeals or linked investigations. As of late 2024, Rai continued to be held in Jail, with his legal team arguing procedural lapses and lack of direct evidence in the remaining cases, though courts have prioritized the gravity of the suicide allegations involving fabricated documents allegedly linked to his defense.

Political impact

Atul Rai's 2019 Lok Sabha victory from as a (BSP) candidate in alliance with the (SP) exemplified the electoral viability of figures with criminal backgrounds in Uttar Pradesh's eastern belt, where caste dynamics and strongman appeal often override legal scrutiny. Despite over a dozen prior criminal cases, including charges under the Gangster Act, Rai secured the seat by a margin of votes against the (BJP) candidate, contributing to the SP-BSP alliance's limited successes amid the BJP's dominance. The post-election rape and extortion allegations, filed on May 4, 2019, by a law student, triggered immediate political repercussions, amplifying BJP's campaign narrative on opposition parties' tolerance for criminal elements. BSP chief and SP leader continued campaigning for Rai even after the , with labeling the charges a BJP-orchestrated vendetta to undermine the alliance, a stance that drew accusations of shielding accused perpetrators for electoral gains. Rai's brief disappearance, surrender on June 22, 2019, and subsequent imprisonment underscored vulnerabilities in the alliance's candidate vetting, eroding in its despite the win. Rai's legal entanglements, including abetment to suicide charges following the complainant's outside the on August 17, 2021, alongside her witness, intensified scrutiny on Uttar Pradesh's '' (strongman) culture, where Rai, an associate of gangster-turned-politician , transitioned from crime to . The , rejecting Rai's bail in July 2022, remarked that must transcend and loyalties to decriminalize , portraying Rai as a "hardened criminal" whose influence could tamper with evidence, thereby fueling broader judicial and public calls for reforms like expedited trials for lawmakers. Though acquitted in the primary case on August 6, 2022, by a MP-MLA court citing insufficient evidence and potential fabrication, Rai's ongoing detention under the Gangster Act and other matters rendered him politically inert during his term, which ended in 2024 without significant legislative contributions. His case perpetuated discussions on electoral bonds between crime syndicates and parties, with the attaching properties worth Rs 4.18 crore linked to Rai in July 2025 under probes tied to Ansari's network, highlighting systemic challenges in curbing influence in regional politics.

References

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