Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala in Chandigarh on Friday.
A day after the arrest of JJP leader and former MLA Satvinder Rana in connection with liquor theft from a sealed godown in Samalkha town of Panipat, Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala Friday said that “any person is innocent until proven guilty”.
“…(image) of an organisation or a person is being tarnished. He (Rana) is not named in the FIR, he was taken for the investigation (by the police) and was remanded by the court. Our Constitution also says that any person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Dushyant, who had formed JJP in 2018 after bitter infighting in the Chautala family. With
Home Minister Anil Vij, who is from BJP, taking tough stand stating that “no one guilty will be spared in the matter”, the opposition is leaving no stone unturned to corner JJP.
According to official documents, the Excise and Taxation Department had cancelled a wholesale liquor licence in 2016 after it finding irregularities. Then firm’s Samalkha godown was sealed. Sources say that Rana was associated with this particular firm. According to a police complaint by the department, first liquor was stolen from here in 2018 and second time liquor theft took place on April 28 this year. An officer of the department, Rajesh Rohila, told the police that he has come to know about the latest theft from his sources.
Dushyant Chautala Friday claimed that Rana had complained to the Excise and Taxation Department in connection with the latest theft from the godown before Covid-19 outbreak in the state. “Then then department had informed the police which led to the police action. The police arrested a person Ishwar Singh into the matter and after which name of Satvinder Rana cropped up into the case,” said the JJP leader.
However, Dushyant added: “I would like to clarify that Rana never brought this matter to my notice. I never called Panipat SP in this regard. This matter (of his arrest) came into may notice at 9 am on Thursday when he was produced in the court.” He said that he has now taken information from the DGP about it. The Deputy Chief Minister said whenever any matter related to him and his organisation comes, “all join hands to corner us”. “I don’t think there is any party from which anyone is not facing accusations, chargesheet or FIR,” he added.
Dushyant, who also holds the portfolio of Excise and Taxation in the coalition government of BJP and JJP, said that the government has found shortage of liquor from three godowns of Fatehabad. Two FIRs have already been lodged in connection with a liquor scam of Sonipat district.
He said that they were waiting for the report of Special Enquiry Team in connection with these cases. “If anybody has done wrong, then action should be taken against him,” said the JJP leader claiming that he did not protect anybody. Dushyant also said that the party would question Rana about the matter once he is out of custody.
The police had arrested Rana from Haryana MLAs hostel in Chandigarh on Thursday. After the two days police remand, he would be produced before the court on Saturday.