New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Monday held a protest in Delhi against the Congress, accusing it of shielding its MP and sacked Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who has been charged with sexual harassment.
Akoijam, Lok Sabha MP from Manipur, was sacked by the JNU last week after finding him guilty of sexually harassing female students, a charge denied by the lawmaker.
The BJP leaders raised slogans against Akoijam and Rahul Gandhi, the senior Congress leader and leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.
They also held placards that read "marks for sex".
JNU यौन उत्पीड़न मामले में राहुल गांधी के करीबी सांसद अंगोमचा बिमोल के निष्कासन को लेकर विशाल विरोध प्रदर्शन! #SexForMarks #MarksForMeritNotHarassment #CongressChuppiTodo #CongressKaHaathAaropiKeSaath https://t.co/vaGDtaOd6S
— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) October 12, 2026
"I want to ask Rahul Gandhi about his deafening silence," BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj told NDTV while protesting against Akoijam.
"Why is no action taken against the sitting MP of the Congress," she asked.
While speaking to NDTV's @ShivAroor, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj (@BansuriSwaraj) targets Rahul Gandhi over silence on JNU sexual harassment case, demands action against Congress MP Akoijam https://t.co/zYur4plrza
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 12, 2026
Another BJP MP, Tarun Chugh, said that Akoijam is sitting in the "laps" of Congress leaders.
"Why are is Congress protecting someone who has sexually harassed 11 students," he told NDTV from the protest site.
Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh (@tarunchughbjp) takes a jibe at Rahul Gandhi's silence over JNU sexual harassment case @Vasudha156 https://t.co/p6r8xmN6OG
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 12, 2026
BJP spokesperson Radhika Khera said that Congress "can't have double standards".
"Rahul Gandhi has to speak on this issue and take action," she told NDTV.
JNU Harassment Row | "You can't have two standards. Rahul Gandhi has to speak on this issue and take action": BJP spokesperson Radhika Khera (@Radhika_Khera) to NDTV's @Vasudha156 https://t.co/2xXmdL2lQA
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 12, 2026
"I am a living example of how women are treated in the Congress party," Khera, who switched to the BJP from Congress in 2024, said.
JNU's Charges Against Angomcha Bimol Akoijam
Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU's School of Social Sciences, was dismissed with immediate effect on October 9 following an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him. He allegedly asked the female students at the JNU about their dating history.
At least 11 female students had filed sexual harassment complaints against the professor in May this year. The complaints alleged that he invited students to his campus residence on the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them.
Some students had also alleged that he made obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.
"Do you have a boyfriend? What activities do you do with your boyfriend? What is your opinion on affairs? What is your opinion on someone my age liking someone your age?," he allegedly asked them.
JNU's internal committee found him guilty of sexual harassment by making sexually suggestive interactions, unwelcome physical contact, inappropriate screening of a sexually explicit movie, unnecessary physical proximity, and inappropriate informal behaviour with students.
The panel wrote in its statement that it found, after an extensive probe, that evidence substantially corroborates the allegations and establishes a recurring pattern of "conduct inconsistent with the professional boundaries expected in a teacher-student relationship".
He also allegedly asked the students the meanings of certain terms, such as the term "quickie", which he himself explained as "quick sexual intercourse that can be done on top of a table" using weird hand gestures to describe the act.
Angomcha Bimol Akoijam Calls It "Witch Hunt"
Akoijam has termed his dismissal a "witch hunt", and alleged that there were politically motivated attempts to silence him.
"I don't have the report, I don't have this dismissal," Akoijam said on October 9, adding that he expected to be informed about the recommendations of the committee and given an opportunity to respond to its findings.
Referring to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, he said the law was enacted by the Indian Parliament and questioned whether its provisions had been followed in his case.
"Anybody who knows POSH law will know this," he said, alleging that the university had acted without ensuring that he was aware of the committee's recommendations.
Angomcha Bimol Akoijam with Rahul Gandhi
He also rejected allegations that he had sought sexual favours in exchange for marks, challenging those making the claims to produce evidence.
"All those allegations of sex for marks, show me that. Either in that report or anywhere, show me that," he said.
"Nobody can silence people of Manipur. I am their voice, because people have given the mandate," he said.
Delhi Police on Monday charged him of sexual harassment and insulting a woman's modesty.