BJP Mahila Morcha members hold placards as they stage a protest outside Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. | Photo Credit: PTI
NEW DELHI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha on Monday staged a protest outside the Congress headquarters here, demanding the expulsion of Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from the party over sexual harassment allegations that led to his dismissal from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the registration of a police case against him.
Mr. Akoijam, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU’s School of Social Sciences, was dismissed from the university last Friday following an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him, which he has denied.
On Sunday, the Delhi police registered an FIR at the Vasant Kunj North police station based on a complaint filed by JNU’s chief security officer. Mr. Akoijam, who represents Inner Manipur in the Lok Sabha, has been booked under Sections 75, 75(1)(i), 75(1)(iv) and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which cover sexual harassment and acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty, among other offences. The police said an investigation was under way.
Addressing the protesters, BJP Mahila Morcha national president Roop Kumari Choudhary accused the MP of exploiting students and urged the Congress leadership to take immediate action against him.
“We strongly condemn the exploitation of students under the pretext of awarding marks by a Congress MP. Congress must immediately expel this MP from the party because the daughters of our country are demanding justice,” Ms. Choudhary said.
She added that the demonstration was intended to amplify the demand for justice for women and ensure that allegations of misconduct were not overlooked.
‘Apparent silence’
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj criticised the Congress leadership over its lack of response to the allegations, questioning the “apparent silence” of party leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders.
“It is deeply astonishing that Mr. Gandhi and the top Congress leadership, who raised the slogan ‘Smash the Patriarchy’, have maintained complete silence over serious allegations of harassment against their own MP,” Ms. Swaraj said.
She challenged Mr. Gandhi to demonstrate that the party’s stated commitment to women’s rights extended beyond political messaging.
“I want to ask Rahul Gandhi whether your silence amounts to tacit support for the alleged sexual misconduct of your sitting MP, Bimol Akoijam. If ‘Smash the Patriarchy’ is not merely an election slogan for you, demonstrate it by taking action against Bimol Akoijam,” Ms. Swaraj said.
‘Announced in haste’
Meanwhile, in a statement on Sunday, the Jawaharlal Nehru Teachers’ Association said Mr. Akoijam’s dismissal had been announced in “haste” and amid “attempts to usurp the power of dismissal that rightfully lies with the Executive Council”.
It also expressed concern that the recommendations made by JNU’s Internal Complaints Committee had been leaked to the media and were being publicly circulated.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), on the other hand, criticised Mr. Akoijam’s remarks about a “witch hunt” against him.
“Instead of commenting on his severe and repeated predatory behaviour, he focused on claiming that this is a politically and racially motivated complaint,” the JNUSU said in a statement.
Published - October 13, 2026 12:22 am IST