Manoj Kotak, the BJP candidate from Mumbai North-East constituency for Lok Sabha Polls 2019, is facing a serious issue after a former MLA accused of molesting a 19-year-old woman was seen campaigning for him. Mangesh Sangle, who switched from MNS to BJP in 2017, was seen campaigning for Kotak for more than five hours on April 21, at Bhandup and Vikhroli.
Sangle is accused of molesting a girl in and his anticipatory bail plea was rejected on April 17 on grounds that he was pressurising the witnesses. Just four days after his bail-plea got rejected, he was seen campaigning for Kotak. He was also present in the photos of the campaign uploaded by BJP MLC Prasad Lad on social media.
The case of molestation against Sangle dates back to October 2018, when he allegedly molested a girl by trying to kiss her. The FIR was registered by the girl on March 16, 2019 at Rabale Police Station in Navi Mumbai. In the FIR, the girl alleged that Sangle called her to his house and tried to kiss her.
The woman said that Sangle and she resided in the same building and he intervened in a dispute between her and her parents. She further said that when she entered his house, he shut the door, and attempted to grab her. The girl approached Prevention of Atrocities on Women Cell in Belapur after which the FIR was lodged. Sangle was booked for molestation and sexual harassment.
