A Panchayat leader in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, is said to have exposed himself to a woman during a public confrontation. The accused, Padmanabha Sapalya, vice-president of Idkidu Village Panchayat in Bantwal Taluk, was later driven out of the BJP after a video of his indecent exposure was widespread.
According to the police and local sources, the confrontation stemmed from a dispute about access to the road. The woman had objected to a newly installed gate -blocking access to her house.
While recording the confrontation on her phone, Padmanabha reportedly pulled his shorts down and exposed to her, according to her complaint submitted to Vital Police.
In her statement, the woman said she was working at her nearby plantation when she heard the gate be resolved. When approaching to document the situation, the Panchayat officer is said to have had an obscene and threatening behavior.
After the public recoil, BJP Puttur Rural Mandal President Dayananda Shetty Ujremaru confirmed the expulsion of Padmanabha of the party’s primary membership. Shetty added that the party had instructed him to resign from his Panchayat role.
Last December, BJP legislator CT Ravi was arrested for alleged use of derogatory and sexist language on Minister of Women and Child Development Laxmi Hebbalkar during the winter session of the State legislator of Karnataka in Belagavi. Ravi and the BJP, however, denied the allegations.
The episode led to protests and bitter scenes inside and outside the house, which ended the winter session of the legislative council prematurely.
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