ANGUL: Bantala police on Thursday night arrested the Angul district secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on charges of seeking sexual favours from a woman and misbehaving with her.
Sudipta Kumar Swain was arrested following a complaint filed by a 25-year-old woman. According to police, Swain had been in a relationship with the woman for several years but got married to someone else. However, despite the end of their relationship, he allegedly continued to pressure her to resume an affair. The woman, who works at a bank in Angul, repeatedly rejected his advances over the years, police said.
Meanwhile, on the night of July 15, Swain allegedly went to the woman’s house, misbehaved with her, and threatened her when she refused to comply with his demand for sexual favours.
The woman lodged a complaint on Thursday, following which police launched an investigation. Swain was arrested and subsequently produced before a local court which sent him to judicial custody, said Bantala IIC Natabara Nanda.
Following his arrest, district BJP president Jajati Patnaik suspended Swain from the party.