Comedian Khyali Saharan booked for rape

• Khyali Saharan was booked for raping a 25-year-old woman in a hotel room in Jaipur
• A case under IPC Section 376 (rape) has been registered against the comedian
• The matter is being investigated, police said

Famous stand-up comedian Khyali Saharan has been booked for allegedly raping a 25-year-old woman in a hotel room in Jaipur, police said on Thursday.

Based on the complaint lodged by the woman, a criminal complaint was registered against the comedian at the Mansarovar police station on Tuesday. According to the police, the incident took place on Monday when the comedian, who is an AAP activist, allegedly raped a woman in a "drunk state" in a hotel room in the Mansarovar area on the pretext of helping her get a job.

“Following a complaint filed by the woman, a case under Section 376 of the IPC (rape) was registered against the comedian. The matter is under investigation,” said Sub-Inspector Sandeep Yadav, who is posted at Mansarovar police station.

Police said the woman, hailing from Sriganganagar, worked as a marketing manager for the firm. Together with another woman, she came in contact with the comedian almost a month ago and was looking for help with work.

According to the police, Khyali had booked two rooms in the hotel, one for himself and the other for two women. The comedian allegedly consumed beer and forcibly asked women to drink beer. Later, one of the women left the room and raped a second woman, police said.

When contacted, Aam Aadmi Party state spokesperson Yogendra Gupta said, “AAP has thousands of workers and he (Khyali) is one of them. What he does in his private life is another matter. This has nothing to do with the party.”