CHANDIGARH: Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa wrote to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Friday, urging him to forward the matter pertaining to minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, who is facing charges of “sexual misconduct”, to the chief justice of the high court to treat it as a suo-motu writ petition.
This comes a day after the governor said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should act against Food and Civil Supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak in this regard. Bajwa said that the report of the forensic probe that was asked for by the Punjab governor stated that the video of sexual misconduct was not morphed. “As anticipated, the AAP government is trying to pressurize the victim to withdraw the video statement and complaint to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
False cases are being registered against those who have been coming in support of the victim. The AAP government is leaving no stone unturned to harass the victim and his family,’’ claimed Bajwa. He said that there was no point in forming a Special Investigating Team (SIT) in the matter when the forensic probe of the video had already been performed and the victim had openly blamed the cabinet minister.
The sole motive behind the proposal to form an SIT was to put the issue on the back burner, he added. “The AAP government in Punjab has apparently crossed all limits of brazenness to protect Kataruchak. What example is CM Mann trying to set by shielding a minister who has indulged in such a nasty crime,’’ Bajwa said.
He approached the victim by sending FB request
AAP is facing flak over the issue with the opposition parties demanding action against Kataruchak. After taking cognisance of the victim’s complaint, the NCSC issued the notice to the Punjab government last month and asked the chief secretary and the DGP to investigate the matter and submit an action taken report. The minister had allegedly approached the victim “by sending him a friend request on Facebook in 2013-14 and when he accepted it, Kataruchak allegedly started making advances”, the NCSC had said.