Lucknow: Police arrested three men nearly two months after a female student was allegedly sexually assaulted on the IIT-BHU campus in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi.
The three accused, identified as Saksham Patel (20), Kunal Pandey (28), and Abhishek Chauhan (22), claimed in their social media profiles to be associated with the BJP’s IT cell in Varanasi.
Saksham Patel went to school till class 10, Pandey pursued B.Com before running a shop and Abhishek Chauhan worked at a saree shop after failing class 10, according to The Indian Express.
Kunal Pandey claimed to be the IT cell’s coordinator for Varanasi unit, while Saksham Patel said he was a co-coordinator.
A senior official in the BJP’s media team for Kashi zone acknowledged that Saksham Patel and Kunal Pandey were involved in the saffron party’s IT cell in Varanasi unit, the report said.
However the official added that ‘They are not part of the new team that was formed after Diwali.’
UP BJP President Bhupendra Chaudhary and State BJP IT cell chief Kameshwar Nath Mishra refused to comment whether the accused belonged to the party’s IT cell, according to the report.
Meanwhile, police said they three accused were arrested on Saturday night, adding they confessed to the crime.
Police recovered mobile phones of the accused alongside the motorcycle used in the crime, Varanasi DCP (Kashi zone) Ram Sevak Gautam told the outlet.
Asked about the accused’s connection with the saffron party, DCP Gautam said, ‘We asked them about the crime. It doesn’t matter who is associated with whom. We are finding out if they have a criminal history and will invoke the Gangsters Act too.’
About the inordinate delay in arresting the accused ,the officer said ‘investigation and searches were on’.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party alleged that the new crop of BJP leaders have patronage from the saffron party’s senior leadership.
The female student, a resident at the hostel, in her complaint said the incident took place on the intervening night of November1-2 when she went out for a walk with her male friend at around 1.30 am.
When they were walking together three men arrived on a motorcycle, separating her from the male friend, forcibly kissed her and recorded a video of her after disrobing her.
‘They shut my mouth tightly and took me to a corner, kissed me forcibly, took off my clothes and recorded photos and videos. When I shouted for help, they threatened to kill me. They let me go after 10-15 minutes. When I ran towards my hostel, I heard the sound of the motorcycle. Then, I hid at the residence of a professor, who took me to the security officials,’ she reportedly said.