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Updated: Nov 04, 2019 23:13 IST

Odisha police on Monday arrested a senior Biju Janata Dal leader more than than six months after a woman employee of a government-owned credit cooperative society levelled allegations of sexual harassment against him.

Deputy inspector general of police(central range) Ashis Singh said Pramod Kumar Sahu, president of Kendrapara credit cooperative society was arrested undersections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and section 509 (any word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Sahu, who is state secretary of the regional party, reportedly flaunted his position to threaten the 22-year-old woman of rape and murder.

Police said Sahu was sent to jail after his bail application was rejected by a court in Kendrapara. Biju Janata Dal Kendrapara district unit president Kishore Tarai said Sahu was no longer with BJD as he recently resigned from the party. Tarai however did not specify the date when Sahu resigned from the party.

On April 30 this year, the woman employee of the Kendrapara Credit Co-operative Society had lodged a case with local police that the 50-something Sahu was forcing her to have a physical relationship with him and even threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his demands. The complainant alleged that Sahu started harassing her 8-9 months after she joined the society.

“I joined the Credit Cooperative Society on August 25, 2017. But in 2018, he used to call me to his chamber and touch me inappropriately. He also tried to lure me with gifts, money and promotion. He invited me to his farmhouse where he forced me to maintain physical relationship with him. When I resisted his advances, he threatened to transfer me to a far-off place. He even threatened to rape and murder me,” the victim told police.

The victim said that she had to resign from the cooperative society in July this year following intense mental harassment meted by Sahu, but instead of accepting her resignation, her service was terminated.

“My father travels a lot and he was trying to take advantage of the situation. After graduation, I badly needed a job. For the job at the society, I even paid a security deposit of Rs 1 lakh, However, later on I was told that the amount was a bribe,” she said.

When the woman first tried to lodge a case with the local police sometime in January this year, they refused, following which she approached the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate. The police registered her case following the order of SDJM, however no action was taken. It was only after some local TV channels aired the recordings of conversation of the victim with the accused that the police started investigation.

Meanwhile, the women’s wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party said it will stage demonstrations across Odisha on November 5 to protest against the rising crimes against women in the state. “We will stage demonstrations in front of offices of all district collectors on Tuesday. Women are not safe in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD)-ruled state as BJD leaders are involved in several cases of crime against women,” said BJP Mahila Morcha president Pravati Parida.

As per the National Crime Record Bureau statistics of 2017, Odisha recorded the highest number of cases of disrobing of women and morphing of photos of women. The State stood at 4th rank when it came to sexual harassment of women. The conviction rate in crimes against women was a mere 7.4 per cent