BJP member Amit Malviya sues RSS activists for ‘sexual exploitation’

KOLKATA: BJP leader Amit Malviya has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against RSS activist Santanu Sinha, accusing him of “involving” in the sexual exploitation of women.

BJP’s IT chief on Monday sued Santanu Sinha, who claimed he was an RSS activist, for Rs 10 crore for defamation. In the suit, Malviya demanded the removal of Sinha’s “false and derogatory” post from social media.

The nature of the allegations is extremely offensive as they falsely accuse my client of sexual misconduct. This is a serious violation of the dignity and reputation of my client, who is a public figure due to his professional profile,” the statement said.

RSS sources have since stated that Santanu Sinha has never been associated with the organisation in any official capacity.

In a social media post, Sinha accused Malviya of sexually harassing women during his stay in West Bengal.

“I am not saying that Amit Malviya misbehaved with women or exploited them. I just raised the question: Will Bengali leaders retain their posts by providing women to leaders like Amit Malviya or others? We have seen such things happening in Bengal before.”

“In 2021, we had cinema actors who had nothing to do with politics and they were given tickets. But I stand by my contention that there are some men in the Bengal BJP who secure posts by providing women to politicians,” Sinha said.

In a legal appeal, Malviya demanded that Sinha issue an unconditional apology and remove the post within three days. Failure to do so would result in further legal action, including civil and criminal defamation proceedings and a demand for damages of Rs 100 million.

Meanwhile, following Sinha’s allegations, the Congress has demanded Malviya’s removal from office.

In a press conference on Monday, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said, “An RSS member, Santanu Sinha, who is related to BJP leader Rahul Sinha, has said that BJP’s IT department chief Amit Malviya was involved in nefarious activities.

He is committing sexual exploitation of women. Not only in 5-star hotels but also in the BJP offices in West Bengal. The only thing we want from the BJP is justice for women.”

Shrinate further added that an independent investigation into the incident would be possible only if Malviya was removed from office.”