AAP activists burn effigy of rape accused BJP legislator in Gurgaon

Activists of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday took out a protest march and burnt an effigy of Gurgaon’s BJP legislator Umesh Aggarwal, demanding his arrest and resignation after a Delhi court framed rape charges against him.

Aggarwal, Sandeep Luthra and Rekha Rani are accused of the rape of a woman from Tilak Nagar in January. A trial court in Delhi has charged Aggarwal and Luthra with drugging the woman to a Faridabad hotel and raping <g data-gr-id="23">her,</g> while Rani has been charged with abetting the crime. The 25-year-old woman alleged that she was raped during a BJP event in Faridabad, in  which the party’s national leaders were present.

The AAP activists on Saturday alleged that Delhi Police were working at the behest of the BJP-led Centre and not arresting Aggarwal even after the court framed charges against him. They also staged a protest against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over his silence on the issue. 

“Some of our MLAs are behind bars in Delhi, even when the court did not frame any charges, but BJP legislator Aggarwal is roaming free in BJP-ruled Haryana. This is <g data-gr-id="19">double</g> standard,” the AAP said in a statement.

The protesters gathered near Atul Kataria Chowk and marched towards the office of Aggarwal on Mata Road shouting slogans. They burnt the effigy close to the legislator’s office, as they were stopped by police a few metres away.