BJP workers stage dharna to protest filing of case against party office bearers

BJP workers staged a dharna at a police station in the old city area here to protest lodging of a case of sexual harassment against office-bearers of the party's Minority and Mahila Morcha, a police official said on Friday.

Heated exchanges took place between the BJP workers and policemen posted at the station but senior police officers prevented the situation from escalating, the official said.

"The incident took place late on Thursday night when news trickled in that a former lady office-bearer of the BJP Mahila Morcha had filed a case of sexual harassment against some party office bearers at the Delhi Gate police station," the official said.

Shortly afterwards, BJP workers in large numbers led by former Mayor Shakuntla Bharti and city BJP president Vivek Saraswat and a host of other senior city BJP leaders arrived at the spot and asked why the office bearers have been booked "without any verification," the police official said.

They alleged that the complainant had filed the case with mala fide intentions and "instead she should be booked for defamation."

Police officers on duty said further action would be taken only after verification. However, protesters held a sit-in at the police station for over two hours, the official said.

Senior police officers assured protestors that no one will be arrested unless the "charges are substantiated."

Circle officer (City), Sudesh Gupta, told newspersons that senior city BJP officials have alleged that the woman in question has filed the case with an ulterior motive.

If this allegation is true and the woman has filed a bogus complaint then the "FIR will be withdrawn and a case will be filed against the complainant instead," he added.