An outspoken Bath councillor has become the second to quit the Liberal Democrats this term amid allegations of bullying but the party say he is the…

A Bath and North East Somerset Councillor has quit the party saying he was bullied, but that is being disputed

An outspoken Bath councillor has become the second to quit the Liberal Democrats this term amid allegations of bullying but the party say he is the perpetrator, not the victim.

Dr Yukteshwar Kumar claimed he had been the subject of lies and discrimination and at one point was on the brink of taking his own life.

The party has denied the allegations and hit back, accusing the now independent councillor for Bathwick of bullying and harassing a female colleague in a vendetta over the last three years accusations he has denied.

The Lib Dems shared an email about the woman in which Dr Kumar said he felt thankful to the God too that perhaps, he has chosen me to eradicate an evil person, which one recipient interpreted as a threat.

Dr Kumar said he did not mean anything threatening and had only hoped to remove the colleague from the party, adding: Because of cultural differences between east and west some of the words I choose arent appropriate in the western culture.

The Lib Dems said Dr Kumars claims had been independently investigated several times and none of his complaints were upheld but he had refused to accept the outcomes.

His departure follows that of former transport cabinet member Joanna Wright, who left the party in June to become a Green, after unrelated claims her efforts were a victim of slow-motion sabotage. The administration rejected her allegations and her departure was unrelated to the dispute between the party and Dr Kumar.

Dr Kumar Bath and North East Somerset Councils member advocate for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic issues and the first person of Asian heritage to take the role of deputy mayor of Bath said in an email to colleagues: With a heavy heart but a sigh of relief, I shall be leaving the LD group and becoming an independent councillor from immediate effect.

This decision is solely because of the bullying, discrimination, and so much of lies and canards spread about me by just one member of the party and the council for more than three years now.

I had faced so much trauma in my life that at one point, that I was on the brink of taking my own life.

He claimed he had been asked not to speak to residents, he had not had equal representation on campaign leaflets and he was asked to leave a tree planting ceremony because it would embarrass another councillor.

The Lib Dems dispute the allegations.

Dr Kumar said in a post to Bathwick residents: I originally joined the Liberal Democrat party because I believed them when they said they were the party of fairness, justice, and equality.

But, unfortunately, my personal experience has shown me that at least locally they are none of the above. There is no liberty, there is no democracy within the party.

He claimed his experience was not an isolated incident and there was a culture of bullying and micro-aggression within the local party, which the Lib Dems have denied.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: We firmly reject all prejudice and discrimination of any kind and take seriously any complaint.

Dr Kumars allegations have been thoroughly investigated three times by a barrister on behalf of B&NES Council, by Avon and Somerset Police and by our own independent complaints process under a panel from outside the area.

All three investigations found nothing to support Dr Kumars assertions, but he refused to accept their verdicts and has continued to repeat his discredited accusations.

Endlessly repeating false claims does not make them true. We would be happy for the investigators reports to be published but that decision is outside our control.

The spokesperson said instead of accepting the outcomes of the investigations Dr Kumar had spent three years attacking the party in general, and one female councillor in particular, such that the police have taken action to protect her from him.

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed it had received a report of harassment from a female against a male and said she was given advice about personal safety.

She was visited as part of the Be Home Safe scheme, which gives security to victims of crime and helps vulnerable people to stay safe by fitting locks and alarms where necessary.

The Lib Dem spokesperson added: We tried hard to help Dr Kumar with his problems, and he received a very large amount of support and pastoral care from the party. But sadly, it was all to no avail. We are disappointed that he has repaid our help with unwarranted abuse.

We regret having to make this statement but Dr Kumars stream of false allegations against us has left us with no choice but to defend our members and put the record straight.

Dr Kumar rejected all of the allegations against him, saying: If elected people do not fight for truth, who in our society will fight?

I am fighting for truth and nothing else. I have no vendetta against anybody..

He said he had never bullied or harassed anyone and claimed the report to the police had been a pre-emptive attempt to silence him.

He said the party and council investigations had not been robust enough because they failed to take witness statements and he was given no chance to appeal the outcomes, so he has filed a civil court case for discrimination and bullying against the female councillor.

He is also taking the Lib Dems to an employment tribunal after he was deselected ahead of next years elections, however the party said it has never employed him.

It said Dr Kumar was deselected because of the legal action against colleagues and his refusal to acknowledge the outcomes of the investigations.

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An outspoken Bath councillor has become the second to quit the Liberal Democrats this term amid allegations of bullying but the party say he is the...