An Indian businesswoman here says she will take court action against Miss World's father, claiming that he sexually abused her when she was 12 years old. The woman, now 37, says seeing Ashok Chopra on television after his daughter, Priyanka, won last year's Miss World pageant brought memories of the alleged 1976 incident flooding back. Chopra, a 51-year-old retired army officer, denies the allegations and is preparing to countersue for defamation.

The plaintiff, a mother of two who has lived in Dubai for nine years, said, "My Delhi lawyers will file a civil case this week in the Rai Bareilly court in Uttar Pradesh, which is Chopra's hometown. "I was talked out of filing a criminal case by my lawyers as it would involve travelling to India and being present at each court hearing, which would be very traumatic as I would have to relive all that I went through. In a civil case, I will only be in court as and when required."The woman alleges that Chopra sexually abused her as a child and threatened to kill her if she told anybody.

"My father was in the army and was newly posted to Ferozpur in Uttar Pradesh. She said Chopra was a captain, and junior to her father. He knew her father and used to visit the family. "One evening I was all alone at home in my room studying. My parents had gone to the market and both my younger brothers were playing outside when Ashok Chopra came around.

"He started acting strangely. When I tried to resist his advances he gagged me and sexually assaulted me. He even beat me up. It was very painful and quite traumatic. "He left me totally shattered. While walking out of my room, he threatened to kill me if I told my parents or friends. I was too small and scared and did not know what to do. I kept it to myself, fearing this man.

"Later, in a couple of instances in the army mess where I used to hang around with my friends, he was constantly trying to molest me," she said. The woman said social stigma, love for her parents and uncertainty about the future were the main reasons she had kept silent.

"After a few months, we shifted to a new residence from the army mess and I tried to forget about the incident and get on with my life. Later, when I grew up, I told my father, who was furious. He regrets that I preferred to keep my mouth shut.

"I also told my husband when he proposed marriage. I did not want to cheat him and get on with my married life as if nothing had happened. He was shocked but extended his full support. "I was trying to get on with my life when all of a sudden I find this man on television as the father of Priyanka Chopra. He was seen smiling and in a second everything he had put me through flashed through my mind.

"That was when I tried to bring it into the open. I called Satya Saran, the editor of Femina magazine, which holds the Miss India pageant, and told her. "All I asked for was a personal apology from Ashok Chopra in front of my entire family, but I received no positive response. "People may think that I am simply trying to gain publicity and money, but I would like to state that I am better placed than Ashok Chopra." The allegations have stunned Chopra's family, who called them false and incredulous.

His wife, Madhu, told Gulf News yesterday, "I knew my husband for 10 years before I married him and trust him fully. He would never attempt such a cruel thing on a 12-year-old child. Our whole family is completely shocked by this. This woman should have thought twice before coming out with false stories. "What is she ultimately driving at? Selling her reputation and making monetary gains and gaining publicity might be her hobby."

"This woman who is pulling my husband and my family into court should understand that she can never ruin my husband, who is very decent and well respected." She said that her 18-year-old daughter, who won the Miss World title last November, was equally shocked.

"Priyanka is quite surprised but has full trust in her father," she said. The family lawyer, S.K. Puri, said he would file a defamation case against the woman and newspapers which carried the allegations. "We are optimistic about a positive outcome. If proved guilty, under the law of defamation, a person who has made false allegations could face two months' imprisonment."