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U.P.: NBW against Meerut BJP leader in sexual abuse case
A non-bailable warrant has been issued against BJP leader Arvind Gupta Marwari in a case of alleged sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district. Police are conducting raids to arrest Marwari, who is the general secretary of the BJP Mahanagar unit in Meerut. The girl had accused Marwari, advocate Ramesh Chand Gupta, and minister Sanjeev Jain Sikka of sexual abuse. Gupta has already been arrested in connection with the case.
A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against BJP leader Arvind Gupta Marwari on Friday (July 28) in a case of alleged sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district, police said on Saturday.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Meerut, Rohit Singh Sajwan said all possible places were being raided for Arvind Gupta Marwari’s arrest. He will be arrested soon and produced before the court, the SSP added.
Station house officer (SHO), Daurala police station, Sanjay Sharma said the name of Marwari was included in the case following an investigation. “The court has directed to produce him before it by August 8. The proceeding for confiscation of properties will be started thereafter,” the SHO added.
While Arvind Gupta Marwari is BJP Mahanagar (metropolitan) unit general secretary in Meerut, Sanjeev Jain Sikka has a minister of state rank in Uttar Pradesh. They are maternal cousins. Senior lawyer Ramesh Chand Gupta, the alleged kingpin of the scandal who has already been arrested in connection with the case, is the maternal uncle of Marwari and Sikka.
As per the police, the 17-year-old girl, working in the office of advocate Ramesh Chand Gupta, had alleged that she was sexually abused by the trio. Sharma said since the girl had also accused Sanjeev Sikka of sexually abusing her, investigation against him was underway and action would be initiated based on the findings of the probe.
Giving details of the case, the police said two videos surfaced purportedly showing advocate Gupta abusing two different girls. After the videos surfaced, the 17-year-old girl went missing under suspicious circumstances and a missing person case was lodged by her brother on May 27. She was recovered safely on June 15.
When she was presented before a court on June 16, she levelled charges of sexual abuse against advocate Gupta, the BJP leader and Sikka in her statement recorded under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the police said.
Subsequently, the advocate and the BJP leader were booked for rape. A case against lawyer Ramesh Chand Gupta was registered under the POCSO Act, rape and under the IT Act and he was arrested on June 21. However, BJP leader Arvind Gupta Marwari is on the run.
Meanwhile, BJP Mahanagar unit president Mukesh Singhal said he had sent his recommendation for the expulsion of both the leaders from the party to the BJP state unit and they will take a decision in this regard. (With Agency Inputs)
