Bal Gangadhar Tilak's great-grandson booked for rape: Police

Congress leader Rohit Tilak, a scion of the family of revolutionary freedom fighter, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, has been booked by the Pune police on charges of rape.

Rohit Tilak is the great great grandson of Tilak, the nationalist, reformist and freedom fighter, who gave the clarion call of ''Swaraj is my birthright" – and was often referred to as “Father of Indian unrest”.

According to the complaint filed at the Vishramwadi police station, the woman had known Tilak since 2015 and the latter had raped her on the pretext of marriage on several occasions.

The victim, a lawyer by profession, had also attempted suicide twice in the past.

Tilak has been charged under the Indian Penal Code with rape, unnatural offences, voluntarily causing hurt, insult with an intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation.

“A lady officer has been assigned to investigate the case,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Basavraj Teli.

Rohit Tilak belongs to an illustrious family. He belongs to the family tree of the grandson of Tilak late Jayantrao Tilak, the Congress MP. Rohit Tilak's father is Dr Deepak Tilak, the Vice Chancellor of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth.

Mukta Tilak, the wife Tilak’s great-grandson Shailesh, is currently the Mayor of Pune. In 2009, Rohit Tilak had unsuccessfully contested the elections from Pune’s Kasba Peth constituency.

I am under threat: victim

I am under constant fear and threat, the 41-year-old victim told reporters in Pune. "I am under severe pressure, there is a threat to my life. I have not been keeping well," she said outside the Vishrambaug police station, with her face covered in a veil. "I am under constant threat from the family," she said, adding that this was the last time that she was giving any statement to the media.