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Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann had accused Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira of being in the habit of making baseless allegations. (Image: Twitter/File)
The announcement came a few days after governor Banwarilal Purohit asked the state government to take a look at the purported video of the minister’s sexual misconduct, which was recorded by the victim
Amid clamouring for a probe and dismissal of his cabinet minister, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann formed a three-member SIT to look into allegations of sexual misconduct against food and supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.
The announcement came a few days after governor Banwarilal Purohit asked the Punjab government to take a look at the purported video of the minister’s sexual misconduct, which was recorded by the victim. Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira had sought the governor’s intervention and handed over a memorandum as well as the video.
According to an order by the state government, the special investigation team (SIT) will have DIG (border range) Narinder Bhargav, as well as the Gurdaspur and Pathankot SSPs. The order referred both to a letter written by the governor and also the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), which had demanded a probe after the victim approached it.
The state government has asked the SIT to fully cooperate with the commission in completing the probe. The police team will also be providing security to the victim.
The pressure from the opposition over Kataruchak’s dismissal was on the rise. “The government, which has been claiming to look after the interests of the SC community, is indulging in excesses and when the blatant evidence is pointed out, it applies delay tactics in taking action,” Khaira said.
The state government found itself in a tight spot over these allegations with the Jalandhar bypoll on May 10. The assembly constituency has a significant number of SC voters and delay in taking action was turning out to be a pressure point for the state government. The AAP-led government also denied attempts to cover up the matter while Mann maintained that he will act the day the government receives a complaint.
“The orders come late. For days, the government is trying to cover up. And instead of a probe, the minister should have been sacked. He has no business being in the cabinet after such serious allegations,” said a BJP leader.
Leader of the opposition, Partap Bajwa said there was no need to set up an SIT when the governor had already checked the veracity of the video.
Purohit had forwarded the forensic report of Kataruchak’s “objectionable” video to the CM on Saturday, adding that, as per the report, the video had not been morphed. Taking cognisance of the victim’s complaint, the NCSC issued a notice to the state government, and asked the chief secretary and DGP to investigate the matter and immediately submit a report on the action taken via post or email.
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