Indian opposition party expels woman who accused youth wing leader of sexual harassment

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A member of India’s opposition Congress party was expelled for “anti-party” activities days after she raised allegations of sexual harassment against a senior party member.

Angkita Dutta, regional president of the Indian Youth Congress for northeastern Assam state, accused the organisation’s national president Srinivas BV of harassment last week. He has denied the allegations as “defamatory” and “false”.

Mr Srinivas had risen to prominence during the second wave of the Covid pandemic in April 2021, when he was widely praised for his work sourcing oxygen cylinders and hospital beds for those struggling to access the country’s crumbling healthcare infrastructure.

He is a party activist from the southern Karnataka state, which is going to the polls next month and where the Congress is looking to unseat the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power.

In a series of tweets on 18 April, Ms Dutta accused Mr Srinivas of sexism and “continually” harassing her for six months.

“I am a woman leader. If I undergo such harassment, how am I supposed to encourage other women to join,” she said in one of the tweets.

She also accused former MP and party president Rahul Gandhi of inaction despite being informed of the matter several months ago.

In a statement on Saturday, the party announced Ms Dutta had been expelled.

“Hon’ble Congress President has expelled Dr Angkita Dutta, President Congress Assam Pradesh Youth Congress, from the primary membership of the party, for six years, for her anti-party activities, with immediate effect,” read a statement released by the AICC on Saturday.

Following Ms Dutta’s allegations, Mr Srinivas served her a legal notice and accused her of being a “sponsored stooge” of the BJP and acting at its behest.

“Whoever is found indulged in propagating/peddling false & defamatory content will be held liable under the relevant laws & will be held accountable for their acts,” he said in a tweet, attaching the legal notice sent to her.

“Sorry for not being able to answer BJP and their Sponsored stooges earlier because of the marathon election campaign in Karnataka, where BJP is all set to lose badly,” he tweeted. “No diversion can save the BJP in the state of Karnataka.”

Ms Dutta has denied claims that she was acting on the direction of the BJP, but the ruling party has been quick to seize upon the issue and criticise Congress’s move in expelling her.

“Sack the woman who alleged harassment instead of providing a platform to hear her grievances,” tweeted BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya.

“The manner in which Angkita Dutta has been removed from the Congress is uninspiring for women,” he said.

Meanwhile, police in Assam – also ruled by the BJP – issued a notice to Mr Srinivas on Sunday, asking him to appear before the capital city Dispur’s police for questioning on 2 May.

The notice said Mr Srinivas would face arrest if he fails to appear before the police for questioning, reported the Deccan Herald newspaper.

Assam’s BJP chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that police acted on Ms Dutta’s case as Congress did not take action on the allegations levelled by her.

Dispur police had earlier on 20 April lodged a case on Ms Dutta’s complaint under various sections of Indian law for sexual harassment and sections of the Information Technology Act.