The vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gujarat unit, Jayanti Bhanushali, resigned on Friday, three days after a 21-year-old woman from Surat accused him of rape, PTI reported. However, the 53-year-old leader from Kutch district denied the allegations in his letter to state BJP president Jitu Vaghani.
“It appears that this application is a conspiracy to malign my image,” Bhanushali wrote to Vaghani on Friday. “Baseless allegations have been made against me and my family. Till the time I am cleared of the charges, I urge the party to relieve me of my responsibilities.”
The complainant submitted an application to Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police Anup Kumar Singh on July 10, seeking that a rape case be registered against Bhanushali. The woman alleged that Bhanushali raped her multiple times since November after making false promises of securing admission for her in a reputed fashion designing college. One of his assistants also shot a video of the act in order to blackmail her, she alleged.
Surat Commissioner of Police Satish Sharma said no first information report has been registered in the case yet. The complaint has been forwarded to the Kapodra police station in the city for further action, he added.
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