Who is Anis Ansari? BJP leader Anis Ansari quits in wake of sexual misconduct scandal: Bareilly woman says she was exploited, blackmailed
Bareilly, India (AP) — In a shocking turn of events in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, the city president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Minority Front, Anis Ansari, has quit following serious allegations of sexual abuse and blackmailing by a woman. The charges include that Ansari sexually exploited the woman under the cover of a marriage promise after making her promise to divorce while later giving her the cold shoulder for marriage.
The scandal snowballed into a much more significant one after the audio and video, turned explicit, went viral on social media reportedly with Ansari. According to her, she is a BJP member whom Ansari is playing with by marrying her and joining the party at BJP meetings and promising all things, including education for the children.
The woman said under the pretext of marriage, Ansari had repeatedly indulged in physical relations with her. She said he even left her in a Lucknow hotel where they were staying under an assumed name, using the ID of his wife. She claimed Ansari promised to marry her if she would get herself divorced from her husband. The woman further stated that after she went for divorce, it was then that Ansari backed out and left her to live alone with her two children in a single rented room.
Things got complicated when Ansari charged blackmailing against the woman, who he claimed was asking for 10 lakh rupees from him. He claimed she was trying to extort him by filing a case against her, in the court, for trying to trap him. The woman remains adamant that it was Ansari who tried to legally entrap her so that she wouldn't ask him to marry her.
Following the allegations, Ansari resigned from the post of BJP's Minority Front president but is still a member of the party. The woman remains at a deep emotional trauma and vowed to fight for justice, she would appeal for help even to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too. She said she had audio calls and other evidences supporting her allegations.
This fresh incident has led to many questions regarding the inner politics of the parties and misuse of power by the parties. So far, the BJP has not issued a statement on the incident, but the woman is in a constant battle for justice; she claims she will not be silenced until the court decides her case.
It has precipitated much debate over the safety of women, their exploitation, and further to this, the safety of political workers in regard to the very likely abuse they may suffer in political circles. It is now under investigation by the police force, and the onus is on local authorities to ensure the inquiry is fair and thorough.