In what has sparked off a political slugfest, the “victim" in the sexual exploitation case against Punjab cabinet minister Lal Chand Kataruchak has withdrawn his complaint before Punjab police and even claimed an alleged explicit video about the abuse was doctored. The opposition has cried foul, claiming a “coverup" to shield the minister.
The complainant had earlier claimed that he was exploited by the minister for several years and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) had issued a notice to the state government after which a special investigation team (SIT) had been set up. Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had also ordered the registration of a criminal case against the minister.
The SIT headed by deputy inspector general of police Narendra Bhargava submitted its report to the commission on Monday. The report says the complainant appeared before the SIT and stated he was withdrawing the complaint and wanted to lead a normal life. He added that an alleged video about his exploitation was not real.
The opposition has alleged a coverup. Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira, who had taken up the alleged case in a complaint to the governor, tweeted on the matter.
I’m appalled by the logic of SIT set up by @BhagwantMann that since complaint Keshav has withdrawn his complaint tainted Minister Kataruchak is given a clean chit ! Firstly what about the sexual video clips of Kataruchak verified by Governor? Does withdrawal of complaint absolve… pic.twitter.com/p99rW9Gg43— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) June 13, 2023
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia has in a letter to the governor asked him to order the registration of a case against the Aam Aadmi Party minister in Chandigarh, where the governor is the administrator.
He said it was strange that the Punjab government did not trust the forensic analysis of the video got done by the governor.
The withdrawal of the case could also trigger a fresh confrontation between the Punjab chief minister and the governor’s office as the latter had claimed that the video evidence submitted was genuine and a criminal case should be registered against the minister.