UP: Jalaun BJP leader held for sexually assaulting minor boys, say cops

Following his arrest, the BJP has expelled Bihari. Before joining BJP, Bihari used to work as a revenue officer and had retired in 2017.

The accused was arrested after the police had found that the accused used to record the sexual assaults through CCTV cameras installed in his room. A case has been filed in this connection.

Police said the victims had alleged that Bihari also used to sexually assault five other children of the area and recorded their videos. Police have seized Bihari’s laptop, hard disk and also DVD player.

The parents of the victims are daily labourers.

BJP’s Jalaun district president Ramendra Singh said they have decided to conduct an inquiry against the senior office bearer, Sunil Gupta, who had appointed Bihari. “It is Sunil Gupta’s responsibility to appoint a person with good reputation. Ram Bihar has been expelled from the party,” said Singh. He added that he was yet to send a report on Bihari to the BJP headquarters in Lucknow.

On the basis of a complaint filed by one of the two victims, Jalaun police lodged an FIR against Bihari under IPC section 377 (unnatural offences). Police also invoked Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and Information Technology Act, said a local Station House Officer, Imran Khan.

Superintendent of Police, Jalaun, Yesh Veer Singh, said over a week ago Bihari had lodged an FIR stating that his Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of his CCTV cameras was stolen. The police caught two persons with the DVR and when they checked the DVR, they found recordings of the sexual assaults.

The two persons, who had stolen the DVR are relatives of the victims, said police. “The two youths told us that they were suspecting that Bihari used to record the act, so they had stolen the DVR to gather evidence against him,” said SHO Khan. The police then contacted the victims.

Local Circle Officer, Rahul Pandey, said: “The victims — aged 15 and 16 years – told that Bihari used to sexually assault them after giving them cold drink laced with sedatives. Victims also said they were being harassed for the last two years.”

Pandey added that the boys also revealed the names of five more minor victims. “We are trying to contact the other five victims,” said Pandey.

Bihari was produced before a local court in Jalaun and was sent to judicial custody, said Khan, adding that medical examination of victims was over and their reports were awaited.