Mumbai, Jul 5 (Deccan Chronicle): BJP leader Ravindra Bawanthade was arrested on Wednesday, about a week after a video of him kissing a woman in a bus in Maharashtra went viral.

According to a report in NDTV, Bawanthade was arrested on charges of rape. The woman in the video had accused the BJP leader of raping her in the bus.

The leader, Ravindra Bavanthade from the Gadchiroli district was caught on the CCTV footage of a private bus while kissing a woman. Later, the woman had approached the Gadichiroli police accusing Bavanthade of raping her.

On June 27, the accused was travelling from Nagpur to Nagbhid in a private bus with the said woman where he was caught on the CCTV footage while kissing her. The video of the CCTV footage later went viral on the messaging application, WhatsApp, after which, the woman approached the police station and filed a complaint against Bavanthade.

The woman has alleged that Bavanthade had assured her that he would marry her and had also promised her of a job before establishing a relationship with her. The accused has been absconding since the complaint was filed against him and the Gidchiroli police officials are searching for him.