Expelled Assam BJP leader held for abetting woman leader’s suicide

A recently-expelled BJP leader of Assam has been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of Indrani Tahbildar, who was a key leader of the saffron party’s Kishan Morcha wing.

The expelled BJP leader -- Anurag Chaliha -- was detained on Monday night in Sivasagar district by a team of Guwahati Police, officials said on Tuesday.

Tahbildar was found dead at her Guwahati home on August 11; a medical test revealed that she had taken over 60 sleeping pills, which the police believe to be the key reason for her demise.

Members of her party had told the media that she killed herself because her private photos with Chaliha were leaked online which became viral.

The Assam BJP had expelled Chaliha from the primary membership of the party the day after Tahbildar died.

Chaliha was untraceable after the woman leader’s death. According to a top Assam police officer, Tahbildar's family members filed a police complaint against Chaliha at the Chandmari police station in Guwahati.

A search operation was launched after the police filed a case against Chaliha under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 306 (abetting suicide), and 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"We monitored his social media and cellphone activities, and were able to locate him in Sivasagar. We detained him from the Demow region on Monday night with the assistance of the local police,” the officer said.

According to their close aides, Tahbildar and Anurag both hailed from Golaghat district and had moved to Guwahati because of their political involvement.

Both of them became part of the party's Kisan Morcha, and some BJP workers claimed that Tahbildar at one point had an illicit relationship with Chaliha. After a recent altercation, he allegedly intimidated Tahbildar by threatening to post her private photos online.

Days after the altercation, her photos appeared on social media, and Chaliha was suspected of leaking them.

Chaliha has been brought to Guwahati for additional proceedings, according to the police, after being taken into custody from Sivasagar.

He will be produced in the court on Wednesday.