Earlier, an offence was registered against BJP leader Ajay Yanganti at Gadchiroli on Sunday for rape (376 of the IPC), sexually exploiting children (Prevention of Child Sexual Offence) and Prevention of Child Marriage Act. Earlier, an offence was registered against BJP leader Ajay Yanganti at Gadchiroli on Sunday for rape (376 of the IPC), sexually exploiting children (Prevention of Child Sexual Offence) and Prevention of Child Marriage Act.

Gadchiroli police on Monday arrested Ajay Yanganti, a BJP leader from Sironcha tahsil of the district for allegedly sexually exploiting a minor girl for over one year. “We arrested him on Monday evening after the case was referred to us from Gadchiroli, where the girl was staying in a protection Home of District Child Welfare Committee,” Assistant Police Inspector of Asarali police station Rameshwar Darade told The Indian Express.

Earlier, an offence was registered against Yanganti at Gadchiroli on Sunday for rape (376 of the IPC), sexually exploiting children (Prevention of Child Sexual Offence) and Prevention of Child Marriage Act. “The girl, 17, was brought to Gadchiroli about a month ago after she complained of her forcible marriage by her mother at Ankisa village. She then narrated her story to the District Women and Child Welfare Officer Anil Bhadange. Bhadange in turn approached us with a complaint. So we registered offence against Yanganti after she gave us statement. But since the matter belonged to Ankisa, we sent it for further action to the Asarali police station,” said API Tejaswini Patil of Gadchiroli police station.

Patil said, “the girl told us her mother had forcibly married her off when she was just 15. She didn’t like the man she was married to. So, she returned to her mother, who allegedly beat her up and harassed her to return to her husband. The girl then got into a hostel run by Yanganti at Asarali. Yanganti, 40, lives in Hyderabad along with his wife and children and frequents Sironcha for business work. He apparently lure the girl into a relationship promising to marry her and sexually exploited her since last year,” Patil said.

Yangati is said to be in-charge of the Sironcha BJP unit and is said to be a close aide of District Guardian Minister Ambarish Atram, who is BJP MLA from Aheri constituency of the district. Atram couldn’t be reached for his comment.

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