Hyderabad: AIMIM on Saturday expelled MLC Mirza Rahmat Baig from the party and directed him to resign from the legislative council, in a dramatic development that comes amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor. The allegations have triggered political sparring and calls for a comprehensive probe.The action came two days after Baig approached the cyber crime police, alleging that unidentified persons were threatening and blackmailing him for money by claiming they would release deepfake and morphed photographs and videos involving him.In a post on the party’s X handle on Saturday, AIMIM joint secretary SA Hussain Anwar said: “Baig has been expelled from AIMIM with immediate effect. He must immediately submit his resignation to the chairman of the legislative council.”While the AIMIM has not disclosed the specific reasons for Baig’s expulsion nor clarified whether any notice was served or whether the action followed the complaint, Baig could not be reached for comment as he is reportedly on an Umrah pilgrimage. Efforts to contact him were unsuccessful as his phone remained out of coverage.Baig represents the Hyderabad local authorities’ constituency in the state legislative council and has nearly three years remaining in his term.Legislative council chairperson Gutha Sukender Reddy told TOI that no resignation had been received from the AIMIM leader. “I have not received any resignation from Baig so far. Some of the AIMIM leaders indicated that they would meet me on Friday evening but did not do so,” he said.Police said no complaint alleging sexual misconduct had been received so far. “Though there has been a hearsay about alleged sexual misconduct on the part of the AIMIM MLC, we did not get any complaint against him. Without knowing who the victim is, how can we register a case? There are claims about circulation of videos, but it has not come to our notice,” a senior police officer told TOI.Social media reports alleged that Baig was caught with a girl, assaulted by a group of youths and filmed, with the footage later being sent to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. The reports further claimed that the episode led to his expulsion from the party. However, these claims remain unverified.Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded strict legal action and an impartial investigation into the allegations. Party state president N Ramchander Rao said the allegations of sexual harassment of a minor against the MLC were extremely serious.“This is not a simple matter, and a deeper look could reveal large-scale irregularities. Though the issue came out long ago, simply expelling him from the party now to wash their hands of the matter is unacceptable. A comprehensive investigation is needed,” he said.He also questioned the silence of the Congress and BRS, both of which had supported Baig in the legislative council election against the BJP nominee. BJP state chief spokesperson NV Subhash demanded either a court-monitored investigation or a CBI probe into the allegations.Earlier, based on Baig’s complaint, police registered a case under sections 308 (extortion) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
