A woman associated with the RSS and BJP in Uttarakhand levelled sexual harassment allegations against a man who holds a senior position in both organisations reports Amar Ujala.
On 5 November, following a day-long meeting, the party stripped the leader of all his powers, reports The Telegraph.
According to the report on Amar Ujala, the complainant reached out to the newspaper after repeated complaints to the leadership fell on deaf ears. She also alleged that her phone, which had evidence of the sexual harassment allegations, was 'snatched' though she did not specify to the Amar Ujala reporter, by who. The report adds that when she went to lodge a complaint at the local police station in Uttarakhand, but the police refused to lodge the complaint because she could not produce 'evidence' which was on the phone.
Two days after Amar Ujala reported the incident, the BJP leadership allegedly asked the tainted leader — reportedly known to be Sanjay Kumar — to stop performing all party-related work.
Devendra Bhasin, BJP's Uttarakhand spokesperson told reporters that an inquiry has been instituted into the matter. However, the party refused to officially reveal the name of the accused.
The survivor also said that she had informed a senior BJP leader in the state about the harassment six months ago, but he refused to act on it.