Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been charged for raping a teenager whose complains were ignored by police until she tried to set herself alight.
Her father, who kept pursuing her case, was detained by police and severely beaten. He later died from his injuries.
In April, nearly a year after her assault, the girl tried to set herself on fire outside the home of Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
The sense of impunity enjoyed by Sengar, a powerful Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MLA, and his brother, sparked protests across India demanding justice.
With opposition groups joining protests and vigils in cities across India calling for tougher action, and critics accusing Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh state of hindering judicial action against the BJP leader, Uttar Pradesh authorities handed over the investigation to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a fourth term BJP MLA, was arrested in April in connection with the rape of the teenager in the city of Unnao, in Uttar Pradesh, a year after the alleged attack.
The Central Bureau of Investigation charged Sengar with the 2017 rape of a 16-year-old girl, whose father was later beaten in custody, allegedly by Sengar’s brother, and then died.
CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal told AFP that Sengar had been formally charged with rape, criminal conspiracy and child sex offences.
India registered about 40,000 rape cases in 2016, up from 25,000 in 2012. Rights activists say thousands more go unreported, with victims wary of how their complaints will be dealt with or the social stigma attached to sex crimes.
