BJP Mahila Morcha demands Cong minister's removal, arrest

The women's wing of BJP today held a protest demanding the sacking of Rajasthan Dairy Minister Babulal Nagar for allegedly defaming women.
The protesters, led by Suman Sharma, BJP Mahila Morcha's state president, raised slogans against the Congress government, saying that instead of asking the said minister to resign, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was harping on the law.
"Gehlot should tender his apology for hurting the sentiments of women in the state by not ensuring immediate action (against Nagar)," Sharma said.
Nagar was yesterday booked for allegedly beating up and raping a woman at his Civil Lines residence here, a charge he claimed was part of a "political conspiracy" to malign his image ahead of Assembly elections.

Sharma, who met the victim, said the minister's associates were threatening her to withdraw the FIR.
"Nagar is a habitual womaniser... The matter was suppressed by him," Sharma alleged.

She warned if the minister was not sacked immediately, the Mahila Morcha would intensify its agitation.
Meanwhile, the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) also demanded the sacking and arrest of the minister.
In a statement here, a number of PUCL activists urged that the victim's statement under Section 164 should be recorded and her belongings (like clothes) be sent to the forensic lab for test. They also called for a DNA test to be done.

PUCL, too, warned of a statewide agitation if the minister was not sacked and arrested soon.