Bengaluru, Oct 12 — Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha on Monday demanded the resignation of Member of Parliament Prof. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment of female students.
They also accused the Congress of supporting him despite his suspension by a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) committee.
During the protest in Bengaluru, the protesters raised slogans against the Congress national leadership, alleging that the party was protecting the accused. They held placards which read "We condemn Rahul Gandhi who is playing drama of women security", "Congress party is nursing lustful MP sacked by JNU".
They also raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accusing them of failing to stand up for the victims of sexual exploitation. BJP Mahila Morcha workers were detained and taken to an undisclosed location after they attempted to enter the Congress office forcibly. The Congress workers also chided the Karnataka Congress government for not being able to provide representation to women in the cabinet.
Speaking to the media during a protest organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha outside the Congress office, BJP MLC Bharathi Shetty alleged that Akoijam was portraying himself as innocent while claiming that the allegations against him had not been proved.
However, she claimed that he had been removed because the allegations against him had been established. She said the BJP strongly condemned the MP's alleged actions.
Demanding punishment for Akoijam, Shetty said the BJP Mahila Morcha had organised a large-scale protest to press for action against him. She also questioned Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi over the alleged support extended to the MP.
“Priyanka Gandhi, where are you when such people are being supported?” she asked.
Accusing the Congress of standing by the MP, Shetty said the party had failed to uphold its principles in its actions and statements since Independence.
She asserted that the BJP would stand with women who had faced injustice and reiterated her demand that the MP should resign over the allegations.
Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has been sacked by Jawaharlal Nehru University after finding him guilty of sexually harassing female students, a charge denied by the lawmaker.
Akoijam, Lok Sabha MP from Manipur, was sacked by JNU last week after finding him guilty of sexually harassing female students, a charge denied by the lawmaker.
The accused, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU's School of Social Sciences, was dismissed with immediate effect on October 9 following an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him. He allegedly asked the female students at JNU about their dating history.
At least 11 female students had filed sexual harassment complaints against the professor in May this year. The complaints alleged that he invited students to his campus residence on the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them.
Some students had also alleged that he made obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.