Bengal BJP leader accused of running prostitution ring involving minors; arrested
Bengal BJP’s Samik Bhattacharya said Sabyasachi Ghosh has been relieved of his responsibilities for the time being. “BJP will not shield him if he is found guilty by the court”
KOLKATA: The arrest of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on charges of running a prostitution racket involving minor girls at his hotel in Bengal’s Howrah district has triggered a political row with the ruling Trinamool Congress targeting the BJP.
The accused, Sabyasachi Ghosh, the BJP Kisan Morcha (farmers’ front) secretary in Howrah, was arrested on Wednesday night from the Sankrail area where his hotel is located.
“Ghosh was taken into custody after 10 people, including two minors and four adult women, were arrested from his hotel. The accused has been charged under various sections of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act, Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” a district police officer said on condition of anonymity.
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The incident comes at a time when some TMC leaders at Sandeshkhali in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district have been accused by local women of sexual assault.
Ghosh’s arrest has prompted TMC to hit back at the BJP which is trying to make Sandeshkhali an issue in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Industry minister Shashi Panja and minister of state for finance Chandrima Bhattacharya said at a press conference on Friday that the BJP has lost the moral right to raise slogans such as Beti Bachao (save the girl child). “The arrest in Howrah raises a big question on the character of the BJP,” Bhattacharya said referring to rape and murder of women in BJP-ruled states.
Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: “Ghosh has been relieved of his responsibilities for the time being. BJP will not shield him if he is found guilty by the court. The party is expanding every day. It is physically impossible to monitor the activities of every leader and member… Let the court decide.”