Imphal, Oct 14 A group of people, mainly youths, on Wednesday staged a rally towards the BJP office in Manipur, protesting the sexual harassment allegations against Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
Holding placards reading “A decent leader we support”, the protesters raised slogans against the saffron party and condemned the allegations against Akoijam, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor.
The demonstrators attempted to enter the state BJP office, located less than 100 metres from Lok Bhavan, but were stopped by police personnel.
“We strongly denounce the allegations against Akoijam. The youth stands for Akoijam. He is being targeted by the BJP because he stood for Manipur. To suppress him is to suppress the state. Do not politicise the issue,” a protester said.
The rally came a day after several women MPs, including Manipur BJP president and Rajya Sabha member A Sharda Devi, submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention in the sexual harassment allegations against Akoijam.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Sharda Devi said she had met President Murmu along with fellow BJP women MPs and submitted the memorandum seeking intervention in the matter.
“We sought action through due process and protection for complainants,” she said.
JNU on October 9 dismissed professor Akoijam, also a Congress MP, over sexual harassment complaints against him, an official order said, even as he termed his dismissal a “witch hunt” and questioned whether due process was followed.
(PTI News)
