Patna: State BJP leader Babban Yadav was arrested by Digha police on Tuesday evening on charges of alleged sexual exploitation of a woman who used to work in his NGO.

The woman, a resident of Digha area worked as secretary at Buddha Society Seva Foundation, an NGO which Babban used to run. She has lodged a complaint at Digha police station accusing Babban of sexually exploiting her for the past one-and-a-half years. The state BJP unit, acting swiftly, expelled Babban from the party. BJP state vice-president Davesh Kumar issued a statement regarding the expulsion of Babban.

The woman in her complaint has stated that whenever she tried to raise the issue, Babban, a small-time Bhojpuri actor, used to threaten her.

She stated that on Tuesday evening Babban reached her house at the Digha area and tried to molest her. When she objected, the BJP leader assaulted her. On Wednesday, the woman lodged an FIR against Babban Yadav. Digha police station house officer S.N. Singh said: "Based on complaint lodged by the woman, the police after interrogating Babban, arrested him from his Lalji Tola residence. Babban has been booked under Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), Section 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons), Section 376 (rape) and Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code."

Sources said Babban was earlier with the RJD but around two years back, he joined the BJP. Though Babban was not holding any important post in the state BJP, he was an active member. He used to take part at party events actively with banners and posters. Last month when BJP national president Amit Shah came to Patna, Babban had put up banners and posters having pictures of his and top state BJP leaders welcoming Shah.

In another development, the state BJP apart from expelling Babban has also suspended Sudhir Sharma (former state BJP general secretary) and Rajesh Singh (BJP leader from Nawada) for anti-party activities. For the past few months, Sudhir was not active in the BJP due to his differences with state BJP president Nityanand Rai.

Recently, Sudhir and Rajesh's name came to the fore for putting up banners and posters against BJP organisational secretary Nagendra Jee at the Boring Road area last month a day before Shah was to visit Patna. Last week, the police had arrested Ritesh Singh, a BJP leader and a relative of Sudhir in connection with putting up banners and posters against Nagendra Jee.