BJP leader in Maharashtra held on charges of rape

Maharashtra BJP leader Ravindra Bawanthade, who was accused by a woman of raping her after a video showing them kissing on a bus went viral, has been arrested.

Ravindra Bawanthade, 48, is a supervisor at a school at Nagbhid in Chandrapur district. A 19-year-old student of his school had filed a rape case against Bawanthade after CCTV footage of inside the bus went viral.

On June 27, the accused was travelling from Nagpur to Nagbhid in a private bus with the said woman where he was caught on the CCTV footage while kissing her. The video of the CCTV footage later went viral on the messaging application, WhatsApp, after which, the woman approached the police station and filed a complaint against Bavanthade.

She said Ravindra had also promised to marry her. Though there were passengers in the bus when Ravindra was busy in his act, none seemed to be aware what was happening in the vehicle.