Airports across Uttar Pradesh were put on alert on Friday after reports that rape-accused state minister Gayatri Prajapati was planning to leave the country to evade arrest, reported News18. The Immigration Department and the Sashtra Seema Bal, that guards the state’s border with Nepal, have also been asked to keep an eye out for the politician, who is on the run.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had, earlier in the day, criticised the Akhilesh Yadav government in the state for failing to arrest Prajapati. “The Akhilesh government should arrest Gayatri Prajapati before March 11 [when Assembly elections results are announced], failing which the BJP will find him as soon as our government is formed,” said Amit Shah. Yadav, however, defended his administration. “Anyone can come to my residence with a camera and check if I am shielding anybody,” he said. “The government will cooperate in every possible way and justice will be served.”

The chief minister had previously said, “In a democracy, in some circumstances you are forced to give some people a ticket. I have tried my best to keep the party clean. At least let the case be heard.” Prajapati has been missing for a week now. He has also moved court seeking protection from arrest. The case will be heard on Monday, reported NDTV.

On February 17, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered that a First Information Report be filed against Prajapati in connection with a gangrape and sexual harassment case. The apex court had given the state police eight weeks to file a report on the case.

In 2016, the minister was accused of raping a 35-year-old woman and sexually assaulting her daughter for two years. In January 2017, the election commission had censured Prajapati for breaching the model code of conduct, which bans “corrupt practices and bribing voters”. In an FIR, the Fatehpur police had said they had seized 4,452 sarees, allegedly meant to be distributed to voters, from a vehicle that was believed to be on its way to the minister’s residence.

In September 2016, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had sacked Prajapati for promoting illegal mining in the state.