Umesh Pande, the BJP president of ward no 33 has been arrested by the Malwani police in Mumbai for allegedly molesting a 19-year old girl staying near his office. The girl was on the lookout for a job and Pande, who also happens to be her father’s friend had promised her his assistance in getting one.
An official source said that the girl was often sent by her father to Pande whenever the latter had any guests coming over. The girl had been taking tea and water to the office of the accused for the past few days since her father was out of town. In the pretext of helping her find a job-an assurance, Pande had called the girl to his office at about 6:30 pm on Saturday and touched her inappropriately.
The girl in response slapped the accused and shouted for help which led people to gather nearby. The police soon arrived and she lodged a complaint of molestation under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. The accused was reprimanded in judicial custody according to a police officer in Malwani.
“The accused was thus detained and was also put on trial on Sunday. When the incident came to my notice, I told the police to conduct a fair enquiry. But Pande is an active member and was doing good work in the area for the benefit of people. Due to political rivalry, someone has tried to damage his and the party’s image,” said BJP North Mumbai district president Vinod Shelar as quoted by Mid-day.
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