A man in Uttar Pradesh was booked by the Noida Police on Friday for allegedly assaulting a woman after a spat with her inside a housing society.
While the man, Shrikant Tyagi, stressed that he is a member of the BJP's Kisan Morcha and his pictures with senior leaders surfaced on social media, the party's local unit said he is not associated with them.
The spat took place during the day in Noida when the woman objected to plantation of some trees by him citing violation of rules even as he claimed he was within his rights to do so.
Multiple videos of the episode surfaced on social media, with one purportedly showing Tyagi hurling expletives and assaulting the woman. He also used abusive words for her husband and made derogatory remarks about her.
"Shrikant Tyagi has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (assault or use of criminal force on any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty)," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Women Safety) Ankita Sharma told PTI.
Tyagi identifies himself on social media as a national executive member of the BJP's Kisan Morcha and national co-cordinator of the Yuva Kisan Samiti of the ruling party. According to officials, a local police team was sent to the housing society in the evening but Tyagi did not open the doors of his house.
"He was threatening to unleash his pet dogs on the police officials, which was preventing his arrest. The police team was waiting outside his house," another official told PTI.
Additional DCP Sharma on Friday night said Tyagi is absconding and police teams are searching for him.
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Meanwhile, BJP's Noida unit chief Manoj Gupta said Tyagi is not associated with the party. "He had come to the party some four-five years ago with Swamy Prasad Maurya, who has now left the BJP. Tyagi was his disciple and not a member of the BJP," Gupta told PTI.
He said that the BJP stands in support of the society residents in the particular case and the common people in general, adding they also want action against Tyagi.
When contacted, Tyagi told PTI over phone that he is associated with the BJP and claimed that the woman had first instigated that spat by misbehaving with him.
"She was drunk and started misbehaving with me and my family. After which I said a few things in rage. Her allegations that I have encroached society's common area is incorrect. I had paid extra money for the garden area when I bought the ground floor apartment," Tyagi said.
As the controversy spiralled and the BJP sought to distance itself from Tyagi, his pictures with senior party leaders like JP Nadda and Swatantra Dev Singh surfaced on social media. His unverified Twitter account, which is locked for public, also described him as BJP worker.
Further legal proceedings in the case are on, the police said.