In a double whammy for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Punjab Government in connection with the “sexual misconduct” case involving the state Cabinet Minister Lal Singh Kataruchak, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued “third” notice seeking a complete Action Taken Report in the matter, while the state Governor Banwarilal Purohit has also shot off another letter to the Chief Minister asking what action has been taken against the said Minister.
The national panel’s notice, on the orders of its chairman and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla, came after the Punjab Government failed to respond to the two prior notices asking the top officials to submit the Action Taken Report to the Commission in a complaint by a Gurdaspur-based youth accusing Kataruchak of sexual misconduct.
Taking serious note of the state government’s “lackadaisical and reluctant approach towards proving justice to the Scheduled Caste residents of the state”, the NCSC issued the third notice directing Punjab’s Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, and DIG Border Range Amritsar to immediately record statements of the victim by video-conference or in person in Delhi, besides providing him security, and submit the ATR by June 12.
The national panel had issued the first notice to the Government on May 5, with the directions to the Chief Secretary and DGP to submit an immediate action taken report and provide security to the victim who was allegedly receiving threat calls from the Minister.
Even as the State Government had, on May 8 following the notice, constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the matter, “no action taken report was submitted before the Commission”. Subsequent to which, the NCSC had, on May 25, issued a second notice to the State Government.
Citing threats of life to the victim, the NCSC had then asked the officials and the police to record the statement of the victim by video-conference or in person in Delhi, provide him proper security, and submit the report by June 1. However, no response was submitted by the Government.
“Despite repeated notices, no solid action has been taken by the state government. This shows the state government’s lackadaisical and reluctant approach towards proving justice to the scheduled caste residents of the state. The State Government is directed to submit an action taken report by June 12. Also, the Government is directed to immediately record statements of the victim by video-conference or in person in Delhi,” said the NCSC chairman Vijay Sampla, in the notice.
Gov Asks CM: What Action Taken Against Minister
In another setback to the state government, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit has written another letter to the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asking him what action has been taken against the Minister.
The latter came days after the Governor turned to the media for getting his voice heard loud and clear in the matter, after finding that his calls for removal of a Cabinet Minister — facing charges of “sexual misconduct” — are falling on deaf ears.
Governor, during an interaction with the media on June 1, had insisted that Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kataruchak has “no right” to be the part of the State Cabinet.
Purohit, in fact, had “used” the media as a medium to ask the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take action against his Minister, saying that he has “committed a heinous crime”.
“Do not forget it. It is a heinous crime, which was committed by him. He does not have the right to stay…Through you (media), I again want to bring to the Chief Minister’s notice that action against this Minister should be taken immediately,” Purohit had said.
Earlier, Purohit had also written to the Chief Minister along with the forensic report of the “objectionable” videos following a complaint by the Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
Going into background of the matter, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira had handed over a “highly objectionable” video clips of “gross misconduct” of an AAP Minister to the governor for forensic examination, without disclosing the name and the contents of the video.
Taking serious note, Purohit had then forwarded the videos for forensic examination. Till that time, the Kataruchak’s name had gone public. The Governor also forwarded the forensic report of Kataruchak’s “objectionable” video to the Chief Minister Mann. As per the report, the video was not morphed.
A 30-year-old man, in a video message, also accused Kataruchak of sexual exploitation, claiming to be the person in the “objectionable” videos. The victim alleged that the AAP leader had forced him into a relationship on the pretext of giving him a government job.
The victim, in his complaint to the NCSC, had stated that the minister allegedly approached him “by sending him a friend request on Facebook in 2013-14 and when he accepted it, Kataruchak allegedly started making advances.”
“Since he was an influential person, he 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 victim had claimed in his complaint.
The Punjab Police had formed a three-member SIT, headed by DIG, Border Range, Amritsar, Narendra Bhargav, to look into the charges of “sexual misconduct” against the Minister.
The state’s opposition parties are also going all out to target the ruling AAP over the issue, seeking action against Kataruchak and his expulsion from the Cabinet.