A BJP youth leader has been arrested in Birbhum’s Bolpur following allegations that he confined a minor domestic worker inside his home and attempted to sexually assault her. The accused, who was associated with the BJP’s Bolpur organisational district youth wing, has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to the complaint filed by the girl’s mother, the minor had recently started working at the accused’s house. The family has alleged that she was subjected to repeated sexual harassment over several days.
The alleged incident on August 30 reportedly came to light after the girl’s younger sister, who had accompanied her to work that day, recorded the incident on a mobile phone through a gap in the door. The family subsequently submitted the video to the police as evidence, according to the complaint.
Following the mother’s written complaint, police arrested the accused. He was produced before a special court in Suri on Friday, which remanded him to three days in judicial custody. The next hearing is scheduled for Monday before the POCSO court.
The accused’s lawyer, however, has rejected the allegations and claimed that the case was the result of a political conspiracy.
The BJP’s Birbhum leadership has sought to distance the party from the accused. District leaders said that the allegations of sexual abuse would be dealt with strictly according to law, while maintaining that the man had already been expelled from the party.
According to the party leadership, the accused had been facing allegations of engaging in activities against the organisation and was expelled a couple of days before his arrest.
“The allegations of sexual harassment will be dealt with according to the law,” the district BJP leadership said, while stressing that the accused was no longer associated with the party and had been suspended two days ago.
The arrest comes as the police investigation continues into the allegations. The court proceedings under the POCSO Act will determine the next course of the case, while the accused remains entitled to the legal presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.
