Three men, namely Kunal Pandey, Saksham Patel, and Anand Chauhan, were arrested by the police on Sunday in connection with the alleged gang rape of a female student inside the IIT-BHU campus in Uttar Pradesh, two months ago.
The opposition parties claim that the accused individuals were associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, the social media profiles of the three suspects are also filled with pictures featuring them alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and BJP national president J.P. Nadda.
The alleged incident took place on November 1 and the victim filed a complaint in the matter on November 2. After the incident came to light, the IIT-BHU campus saw widespread protests. Thousands of students rallied, urging prompt police intervention and improved security measures.
What are the charges against the accused?
The Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday said that three men were arrested for allegedly disrobing a woman, clicking photos of her and making a video, in November last year.
Talking to the press, RS Gautam, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Kashi, said that the three individuals apprehended in connection with the case may be liable to be charged under the National Security Act and the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act.
The FIR was filed under IPC sections 354-b (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation) and the IT Act. According to a report by The Times of India, sections 376-d (gang rape) and 509 (insulting modesty of woman) have also been added to the FIR on technical grounds, on November 8.
What do we know about the three accused?
After their arrest early on Sunday morning, leader of opposition in the UP assembly, Akhilesh Yadav, and UP Congress chief Ajay Rai asserted that the arrested individuals had significant connections with the BJP.
In the course of interrogation, the individuals reportedly informed the police that they remained in Varanasi for a week following the incident. However, they decided to leave the town when student protests escalated. They recently came back to Varanasi, approximately 15 days ago, under the belief that the situation had subsided.
While Pandey states that he held the position of BJP IT cell convenor on his Facebook page, Patel asserted that he is the IT cell co-convenor of the BJP Varanasi city unit. The Facebook profile of the third accused, Chauhan, doesn't explicitly mention his affiliation with the incumbent party. However, it features a cover picture of him posing with Keshav Maurya, deputy chief minister of UP, at an event, and another picture from January 19, 2022, shows him with Yogi Adityanath.
According to the images posted on his Facebook profile on June 25, Pandey is depicted alongside fellow leaders from the BJP's Varanasi unit outside a train to Bhopal. This journey was undertaken as part of the 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' campaign in anticipation of the Madhya Pradesh elections. In the same post, he is captured alongside Dilip Patel, the BJP Varanasi prant president, and Vidyasagar Patel, the city president. In other photos, he is depicted sitting inside the train with fellow party workers.
His Facebook page also has pictures of him with PM Modi, Yogi, Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey, UP Minister of medical education Brajesh Pathak, UP minister Swatantra Dev Singh, among others. Additionally, there are photos featuring Shiv Saran Pathak, the public relations incharge of the Varanasi parliamentary constituency, as well as snapshots of BJP meeting pamphlets.
Furthermore, Pandey shared a roster of BJP Varanasi's IT cell members, where Saksham Patel, another accused in the case, is identified as the convenor of the "Ravidas mandal" within the IT cell. This list bears Pandey's signature in his role as the IT cell convenor, along with Vidyasagar Rai as the BJP's Varanasi city president.
The Facebook profile of Saksham Patel also speaks volumes about his affiliation as a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP. Additionally, in his cover picture, he features alongside Nadda.
His Facebook page displays various pictures, including one in the RSS uniform, another where he is honoured by Varanasi Cantt MLA Saurabh Srivastava, and yet another with Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya.
On X, Patel has also shared images with Union Minister Smriti Irani along with a post dated June 9, 2022, where he mentions his involvement in "an important meeting of the core team of the BJP’s IT cell and social media".