Thane, Jun 1 (PTI) A day after police registered a case against a former BJP functionary from Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly threatening a policewoman and demanding sexual favours from her, party workers staged a protest on Thursday condemning the action.

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Hundreds of BJP members carrying party flags and placards walked to the Manpada police station in Dombivali and shouted slogans against the in-charge for booking the BJP leader.

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The case was registered against the former party office-bearer for repeatedly threatening the woman, whose husband is also a police officer, between 2018 to 2023, officials had said on Wednesday.

Kalyan district president of the BJP Sashikant Kamble told the media the police had taken this action with a vengeance and that the former party functionary was not at all at fault. Former Thane MP Jagannath Patil was also a part of the morcha.

Though it was claimed to be an all-party morcha, only BJP members could be seen.

Requesting anonymity, a local resident wondered why BJP members were protesting when their party is in power and the home ministry is headed by their senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Cabinet minister and BJP leader Ravindra Chavan is also from Dombivali, said the local resident.

Senior police officials could not be reached for comments.

“The victim resides with her husband, who is also a police officer, in the same building where the accused lives. The two sides were locked in some dispute and the former BJP functionary wanted the couple to vacate the premises,” an official from Manpada police station had said earlier.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that the accused wanted them to leave the place and sought sexual favours from her, he said.

Based on her complaint, a case was registered against the former BJP functionary under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354A (sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcome physical contact and advances or a demand or request for sexual favours) and 506 (criminal intimidation), he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)