Amid demands made by the Opposition parties for his resignation following his name surfacing in the Tara Shahdeo case, State Minority Welfare Minister Haji Hussain Ansari on Tuesday said that he knew Ranjeet Singh Kohli, as Raquibul Hassan Kohli.
The Minister while talking to the media denied any link with Kohli. Ansari also said he was quite aware that Kohli had married Shahdeo according to Hindu tradition and a Nikahnama was also solemnised between them.
Ansari, however, accepted that he had also gone to Kohli’s Blair Apartment residence once, after an invitation by Kohli and also met his mother and wife at dinner. The Minister further said that he was not involved with Kohli in any of his illegal activities and said that he met Kohli not more than four-five times in his life.
“I see this incident as a tragic accident and consider that such incidents are not good for a healthy society,” said Ansari.
Giving explanation over the allegations that he helped Kohli in getting work of plantation of trees through his Ministry, Ansari said that being a Minister of minorities he had requested the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary of Forest and Environment department to ensure plantation of trees in those burial grounds and religious places like Akhra and Masna of the tribal in the State where construction of boundary wall has had already been done.
“I met Kohli for the first time during this period when he came to me and desired to get the tender for his NGO,” said Ansari.