Former BJP leader Vinod Arya accused by driver of trying to sodomise him, FIR registered
Haridwar, Dec 14: Former BJP leader Vinod Arya, whose son Pulkit is the main accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, has been charged by his driver with trying to sodomise him.
The driver also accused Arya of beating him up and threatening to kill him if he disclosed the incident to anyone.
A case was registered at Haridwar's Jawalapur police station against Arya on Tuesday night on the basis of a complaint lodged by his driver, SP (city) Swatantra Kumar said.
Arya has been booked under different sections of the IPC including 377 (unnatural offences), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation), Kumar said.
The driver, who hails from Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh has accused Arya of touching him inappropriately and trying to sodomise him, the SP (city) said.
He had also demanded action against Arya citing a threat to his life.
According to the complaint, Arya used to ask the driver often to press his legs. While the driver was doing so one night recently, Arya attempted to sodomise him.
He somehow managed to extricate himself and escaped to Chutmalpur where he lives. He was recently hit by a bike-borne man.
The matter is being investigated by sub-inspector Sudhanshu Kaushik, the official said.
Vinod Arya is a former BJP leader who was expelled from the party immediately after the name of his son cropped up as the main accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Ankita worked as a receptionist at Vanantara resort near Rishikesh owned by Pulkit who allegedly killed her along with two accomplices.
The trio are in jail.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
