Kathua protest in Mumbai: Congress worker claims molestation by party youth

A woman Congress worker has complained to the party's city unit that she was allegedly molested by male colleagues on Sunday during a candle march held here to protest against the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. She complained to the party's Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam, who promised to take action against those found guilty. The protest march was organised by the party at Juhu. Talking to a news agency, Nirupam said the woman, who is a district-level party worker, sent a text message to him about the alleged incident.

In her message, the woman said, "The workers of Youth Congress and NSUI (party's students' wing) stooped to such low level that they touched, pushed and shoved women workers in an inappropriate manner, making us feel unsafe among our very own party's male colleagues.

"Sadly, some male workers did this to us only to get ahead in the march so that their faces were captured by the media. I want to know if women workers will be safe in similar events held in future?" her text message said. Nirupam said, "This incident is very unfortunate and I condemn it. I told the woman that he would take action if she identifies the persons involved. I told her that if she wished, he would help her file police cases against the accused. But she told me there was too much crowd, so it won't be possible for her to identify them."

Surat rape adds to protesters' fury, outrage after Kathua, Unnao incidents

Days after a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was arrested in connection with a teenager’s rape, a sexual attack on an 11-year-old girl was reported on Sunday in Gujarat, the latest in a string of cases that have sparked protests across the country.

Protests calling for justice were held in several cities, echoing the mass rallies against sexual violence in 2012 and piling pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who must hold elections by May 2019. Modi has promised to take action.

Activists accuse authorities of failing to protect women and of moving too slowly to investigate and arrest perpetrators.

The protests were fuelled in part by the arrest of a lawmaker from the BJP last week in connection with the rape of a teenager in Uttar Pradesh, which the ruling party governs.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar: BJP MLA who punctured Yogi's tall women safety claims

Kuldeep Singh Sengar, BJP MLA from Unnao district, which is located about 50 kms from Lucknow, is at the centre of a raging controversy involving unnao rape case and murder.

Sengar has been charged with gang raping a 18-year-old girl and orchestrating brutal assault on her father, who recently died in police custody.

In his almost two decades old political career, Sengar has been associated with all the major political parties, including Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP). He started his career with Youth Congress but later joined BSP. In 2002, he registered his maiden electoral victory on BSP ticket. However, he subsequently switched loyalties to SP and was elected twice as the party MLA in 2007 and 2012.

As an astute politician and sensing the winds flowing in favour of BJP in run-up to the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly poll, he joined the saffron party and won from the Bangarmau assembly constituency in Unnao. His wife is also active in the political arena and is currently Unnao district panchayat president.