Representational image | Photo Credit: BCCL

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday night arrested a social media team member of the Congress on the charges of sexual harassment. An FIR against Chirag Patnaik was filed on July 3. In her complaint, the victim alleged that she was a part of the Congress social media team.

As per New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma, Patnaik was booked at the North Avenue police station under Sections 354A and 509 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code). Patnaik is currently working in the Congress social media team, while the complainant is a former employee.

Earlier, Congress social media in-charge Divya Spandana had issued a statement with signatures of the team members of Patnaik coming out in his support. Spandana had also tweeted that the complainant had resigned due to personal as well as health issues.

The Congress social media head had also alleged that the ex-worker had never apprised the party’s complaint committee of any harassment. "The team has also come out in support of the current worker (accused) based on the interactions and experience of working with him.”

“The team has also recalled some of their conversations with the ex-worker (complainant) and has no reason to believe that the current worker could have misbehaved with the ex-worker," her statement on Twitter read.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had appealed to the Delhi Police to file an FIR in the case. Talking to reporters, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi had also urged police to ensure the safety of the complainant.

In an e-mail to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, the complainant had reportedly said that she reported directly to Divya Spandana, her "work involved coordination with her aide Mr Chirag Patnaik”.

“Mr Chirag Patnaik on many occasions had made me uncomfortable,” the complainant had said, adding terms like “violation of my personal space and immoral behaviour”.