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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Mamata calls for unity, slams BJP's 'divisive politics' at Eid prayers
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged people not to fall into provocations that could fuel communal riots and stressed that her government would stand with the residents, ensuring that no one could stir tensions in the state.
Addressing an Eid prayers programme on Red Road here, the Trinamool Congress supremo claimed, "Provocations are being made to fuel riots, but please don't fall into these traps. The West Bengal government stands with the minorities. No one can provoke tensions in the state."
Banerjee also hit out at the BJP, asking, "If they (BJP) have problems with the minorities, will they change the Constitution of the country?"
She reaffirmed her belief in respecting all religions and reiterated her opposition to the BJP's "divisive politics", which she described as "jumla politics" aimed at dividing people.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also spoke on the occasion, highlighting the unity in the party in resisting the BJP during the last Lok Sabha elections.
"In the last (2024) Lok Sabha polls, we together resisted the march of the BJP," he asserted.
"The BJP says 'Hindus are in danger', and their friends say 'Muslims are in danger'. I would ask them to remove their lens of communal politics. The truth is that the entire country is in danger because of their politics. If they try to create divisions in West Bengal, we will resist it," he added.
Both leaders emphasised that the Trinamool Congress would continue to fight against attempts to sow division and promote communal politics in the state.
