Bikram Singh Majithia urges Governor to order probe against the Pb govt SIT as well as all others who had colluded to intimidate the victim who had accused cabinet minister Kataruchak’s of sexually exploiting him.
Chandigarh, June 13 - Former minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today urged Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to order an inquiry against the Punjab government SIT as well as all 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, Mr Bikram Majithia said while he had earlier requested the Governor and UT Administrator to order the 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, Mr 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, Mr 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.Meanwhile while reacting to the second repetitive increase in petrol and diesel by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the SAD leader said diesel had become Rs 4.25 per litre more expensive in Punjab vis a vis Himachal, Rs 5.25 per litre more expensive than Haryana and Rs 6 per litre more expensive than Haryana. “This increase also exposes the hollow claims of this so called aam aadmi government which has given 300 units free power to the people and immediately imposed a Rs 2,000 crore burden on them in the form of increased VAT. If we take into account all the social welfare benefits which have been snatched from the people including Shagun scheme, medical insurance, SC scholarship, free cycles for girls and many others then this burden is much more”. He also advised finance minister Harpal Cheema not to try to explain the burden imposed on the common man with lies and demanded that the increase in VAT be withdrawn immediately.Mr Majithia also condemned collapse of law and order in the State, asserting recent Rs 8 crore heist in Ludhiana, murder of a Jewellar in Moga and dacoity in Amritsar proved the chief minister had totally failed as home minister.