CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police has shaped a three-member particular investigation group to look right into a criticism of alleged “sexual misconduct” in opposition to state cupboard minister Lal Chand Kataruchak. The SIT was shaped days after the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) issued a discover to the Punjab authorities asking it to submit an motion taken report on the criticism in opposition to the AAP minister lodged by a Gurdaspur-based male.
The SIT is led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav whereas Gurdaspur’s Senior Superintendent of Police Dayama Harish Kumar and Pathankot SSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh are members, in response to an official order. The state police may even present safety to the complainant.
“Special Investigation Team (SIT) shall render complete assistance and support to the Commission in investigation into the matter,” stated the order. It stated the SIT will get in contact with the petitioner and take acceptable motion as per regulation. Kataruchak is the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Bhoa seat in Pathankot and the minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
Taking cognisance of the sufferer’s criticism, the NCSC issued a discover to the Punjab authorities and requested the chief secretary and the director common of police to analyze the matter and submit an motion taken report “immediately” by means of publish or electronic mail.
Kataruchak had allegedly approached the sufferer “by sending him a friend request on Facebook in 2013-14 and when he accepted it, Kataruchak allegedly started making advances”, the NSCN had stated on Friday, quoting from the sufferer’s letter. “Since he was an influential person, he had promised me a government job due to which I remained mum. I was too young at that time to understand anything. But, his sexual excesses continued till 2021. However, he met me for the last time on Diwali in 2021 and he neither provided me with a job nor met me after that,” the sufferer had claimed.
“I am now on the run and submitting the complaint in Delhi as the minister is threatening to harm me or my family,” he had alleged. Recently, a video on the matter was handed over to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira for forensic examination. Purohit forwarded the forensic report of the purported “objectionable” video of Kataruchak to Chief Minister Bhawant Mann. According to the report, the video was not morphed, sources stated.
