The West Bengal police in Howrah district reported the arrest of a local BJP leader, Sabyasachi Ghosh, along with 10 others, on charges of running a sex racket in a hotel, according to news agency PTI. Sabyasachi Ghosh, purportedly a local BJP leader, was apprehended along with his 10 associates during a police raid at a hotel in the Sankrail area on Thursday evening, as per the report.
The incident has stirred a political controversy, with the ruling Trinamool Congress accusing the BJP of protecting leaders involved in the sex trade.
In a statement, the BJP refuted any association with the accused, dismissing the arrest as a "desperate attempt" by the police to divert attention from alleged incidents of sexual abuse in Sandeshkhali. In this region, women have accused TMC leaders of misconduct.
"During the police raid, two minor girls and four women were rescued from the hotel owned by Sabyasachi Ghosh. The four women were taken to Liluah Home, and the two minors to the Child Welfare Committee. The arrested individuals had been operating the sex racket by bringing in girls and women to the hotel located near National Highway 116," a police official told PTI.
An officer from Sankrail police station, speaking on condition of anonymity to PTI, confirmed Sabyasachi Ghosh's association with the BJP's Howrah unit and mentioned that the investigation is ongoing, awaiting further leads.
Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha claimed that the TMC is attempting to create a narrative to portray the BJP negatively, which, according to him, will find no acceptance.
"The TMC is desperately trying to navigate away from the Sandeshkhali situation, which has implicated the ruling party and established the role of their local leaders in exploiting women and committing atrocities on locals for years," Sinha was quoted as saying by PTI.
Referring to Ghosh's arrest, Sinha said that "if anyone is found guilty, the law will take its course", asserting that the BJP will not shield wrongdoers, unlike the TMC.
According to PTI report, later in the evening, the BJP's Howrah unit issued a statement denying any association with Ghosh, attributing it to an attempt by Bengal police to divert attention from the ongoing turmoil in Sandeshkhali.
The riverine area of North 24 Parganas district gained attention when ED officials were attacked by a mob during a search at TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh's premises on January 5 in connection with a corruption case.
"Our West Bengal unit denies any association with the accused as we wish to put on record that Sabyasachi Ghosh holds no position in the party. This is yet another desperate attempt by the WB police to distract from the issue of rape and torture in Sandeshkhali to protect Mamata Banerjee," the statement signed by Howrah district BJP unit Chief Ramaprasad Bhattacharya said, as per PTI.
"People of West Bengal want to know where Shahjahan Sheikh is. This is the only question Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal Police need to answer," the statement added.
The ruling Trinamool Congress, facing criticism over alleged sexual abuse by some of its leaders in Sandeshkhali, criticized the BJP over the "arrest of its leader for alleged involvement in flesh trade".
"@BJP4Bengalleader Sabyasachi Ghosh caught running a PROSTITUTION RACKET of MINOR GIRLS in his hotel in Howrah's Sankrail. The Police arrested 11 accused & rescued 6 victims from the spot. THIS IS BJP. They don't protect BETIS, they protect PIMPS!" the TMC posted on X.