Noida: BJP worker arrested for misbehaving with policewoman

A BJP worker was arrested in Greater Noida on Thursday for allegedly misbehaving with a policewoman during a programme to welcome party's national president J P Nadda, officials said.

Thousands of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and supporters had gathered at Pari Chowk near Zero Point to greet Nadda, who was en route to Agra to address a public event, when the incident took place around noon.

"BJP worker Shoaib Ansari was arrested following a complaint by the woman constable who alleged that he misbehaved with her. An FIR has been registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty)," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida 3, Rajesh Kumar Singh, told PTI.

BJP's Greater Noida unit chief Mahesh Chand Sharma said Ansari had "held" the woman constable's hand "by mistake" amid rush.

"There were thousands of supporters and Ansari was also there in the rush to greet the party's national president amid a rush. From what I have got to know, he was there with a couple of friends and supporters and by mistake held the police constable's hand thinking it was one of his friends," Sharma told PTI.

Nadda, who was recently appointed the BJP's national president, was en route to Agra on Thursday and was felicitated at Noida, Greater Noida and Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar by party workers and supporters, including local MP and MLAs.