Sexual exploitation charges on minister: SAD seeks probe against Punjab govt for 'intimidating victim
Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Jun, 2023 11:29 AM
Chandigarh, June 13 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday urged Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to order an inquiry against the Punjab government and others who had intimidated the victim who had accused Cabinet minister Lalchand Kataruchak of sexually exploiting him and forced him to retract his statement.
In a statement here, Majithia said while he had earlier requested the Governor and UT Administrator to order Chandigarh Police to register a case against Kataruchak, now it had become pertinent to probe the sequence of events whereby the victim was forced to withdraw his accusations against the minister.
"It seems Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's earlier statement that all SITs were 'besitte' (without any meaning) was true. It is now clear the SIT was formed to give a clean chit to the minister and that it also caused the victim to retract his allegations."
Urging the Governor to act to save values in civil society, Majithia said "it is shocking that a predator has been given a clean chit by the state. This puts civil society to risk."
Besides urging the Governor to take appropriate steps to ensure justice for the Dalit youth who had been sexually exploited on the promise of a job, he also urged all political parties to unite on this issue and boycott and protest against the minister.
Asserting that the Chief Minister's love for Kataruchak had come in the way of taking action against him, Majithia said it was condemnable that that the Chief Minister had not sacked Kataruchak despite specific advise to do so by the constitutional head of the state.
Majithia also condemned collapse of law and order in the state, asserting recent Rs 8 crore heist in Ludhiana, murder of a jeweller in Moga and dacoity in Amritsar proved the Chief Minister had totally failed as Home Minister.
The Chief Minister has also proposed the names of Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh and Lambi MLA Gurmeet Singh Khudian for their induction as Cabinet ministers. Mann has requested the Governor to accord approval to administer oath of office to the new ministers at 11 a.m. on May 31 at the Punjab Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
At least 10 people were killed and 55 others injured on Tuesday after a bus plunged into a deep gorge in Jammu district, police said. According to the police, the accident took place in the Jhajjar Kotli area after the driver lost control of the vehicle which was on its way to Katra town from Amritsar.
The incident occurred on May 29. In a statement issued by Air India, the airline said that a passenger on their flight AI882 on May 29 behaved in an unruly manner.
"The police is fully committed to destroy the criminals network as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann," he added. Jarnail Singh was shot dead at Sathiala village in broad daylight by three masked assailants on May 24.
The court then issued summons to Sisodia for June 1. The same court had on May 23 extended the Aam Aadmi Party leader's judicial custody for the same date in the ED case. The ED had arrested Sisodia on March 9, after the CBI arrested him on February 26 this year.
The police said that the foreign nationals were running the drug laboratory in the Judge Society located near posh Sector Omega 1 of Greater Noida. The police raided the house on Tuesday at the instance of one of the nine accused arrested on May 17.
