By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
A BJP youth leader was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor girl from Nainital in Uttarakhand.
The accused, Dev Singh Bagdwal, a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader, had taken the victim to Haridwar, where she was recovered by the police. Bagdwal was also arrested from Haridwar. The accused was produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody.
The 16-year-old victim’s mother had filed a missing complaint with the Nainital police on October 8. The police investigations revealed that Bagdwal had kidnapped the girl from Nainital and later took her to Haridwar from where she was recovered. Later, a case was registered against the accused under various sections of the kidnapping, rape, and POCSO Act.
Meanwhile, the state Congress President Karan Mahara attacked the ruling party over the rape incident saying that the BJP’s slogan of “Save the daughters” has actually become “Save the daughters from BJP leaders.” Referring to the highly publicized Ankita Bhandari murder and other rape cases in the state, Mahara said that one by one, the names of BJP leaders and officials are being implicated in heinous crimes that bring shame to society.
Meanwhile, the BJP strongly condemned the incident, calling it shameful and urging the Congress and other parties to refrain from political rhetoric on this sensitive issue. State BJP spokesperson and MLA Khajan Das stated that the arrested accused, regardless of their party affiliation, will face strict legal action and receive the harshest punishment.