New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing heat with a former leader of its party in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal being arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for running a child trafficking racket and the woman allegedly naming some influential political leaders of the party in Delhi during the investigation.

Juhi Chowdhury, the leader of the BJP’s women’s wing in Jalpaiguri district, was arrested on the night of April 2 from Batasia, close to the India-Nepal border in Darjeeling, according to the CID. The following day, Chowdhury was remanded in CID custody for 12 days.

BJP Takes Action Against Accused Leader

The BJP then removed her from the post of state secretary of the Mahila Morcha. Chowdhury had gone to Delhi with a woman accused of child trafficking, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, adding that she has been removed from the post as her activities had proved ‘harmful for the party’s image.’ Chowdhury, who said she was being framed in the case, added that “they can’t prove me guilty.”

However, Additional Director General of CID, Rajesh Kumar, claimed that Chowdhury was directly involved in the trafficking of newborn children. The CID, which has been investigating the racket for several months, allegedly recovered a diary from another accused in the case, Manas Bhowmik, that ostensibly had detailed entries about Chowdhury’s connection with child traffickers.

Chowdhury accompanied the prime accused in the case, Chandana Chakraborty, to Delhi on February 2 and met BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, according to the police.

Chakraborty, the chairperson of Jalpaiguri-based child adoption centre Bimala Sishu Griho, had allegedly revealed to the police that Chowdhury was in talks with some senior political leaders in Delhi about her child adoption centre.

“Juhi assured me she would sort out all the issues. She might have talked to (BJP leaders) Roopa Ganguly and Kailash Vijayvargiya. I was sitting in a separate room. We are innocent. We will definitely help in the investigation,” said Chakraborty, who was arrested by the CID with her aide Sonali Mondal for selling at least 17 children using bogus adoption techniques.

Juhi Chowdhury Held Near Indo-Nepal Border, Father Absconding

When Chowdhury realised that the CID was on her trail, she fled to a relative’s house in Nepal for a few days. She was nabbed when she returned to her village near the Indo-Nepal border. The CID is also looking for Chowdhury’s father, Rabindranarayan Chowdhury, also a local BJP leader, who is accused of managing her financial transactions.

Such a serious case should be probed by a central agency, Vijayvargiya said. I have no trust in the police investigation. In pursuance of a conspiracy, one after the other leaders of our party are being falsely implicated and arrested. We do not trust this (Bengal) government nor its police. This government and their police can go to any extent. We would like to see the matter being probed by a central agency, he said.