In a revelation that could land his own Government in trouble, Haryana Cabinet Minister Ram Bilas Sharma on Thursday said that Justice Naresh Kumar Sanghi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who died two days ago, had informed him about getting vital evidence regarding gang-rape incidents at Murthal during Jat quota agitation in Haryana.
Justice Sanghi had taken suo motu notice last month of news reports about the alleged rape of women at Murthal in Sonepat district during Jat reservation agitation in Haryana.
The sitting judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Sanghi had passed away on Monday following a heart attack at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The HC judge was en route to the Tirupati temple along with his family members when the incident took place.
Haryana Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma while talking to the mediapersons after Cabinet meet on Thursday said that Justice Sanghi had talked to him over the phone and informed him about getting vital evidence regarding the Murthal rape cases.
“Justice Sanghi had told me that he would take action in this regard after returning from Tirupati,” claimed Sharma.
Notably, several weeks after news reports about alleged mass gang rapes in Murthal during the Jat quota stir had appeared, the state police have not yet received any input indicating that it actually happened.
Haryana Government while submitting a status report on the alleged Murthal gang-rapes in Punjab and Haryana High Court last month had told that no such rapes or incidents of molestation were reported from Haryana's Sonipat district during the Jat agitation. The preliminary status report was submitted following investigations into the matter by three-member all-women special investigation team (SIT) constituted by Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar’s Government.
The SIT report had said no woman had come forward to lodge a complaint of gang-rapes in Murthal on February 22.
Speaking on the issue of Jat agitation, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Wednesday said that there was no lapse on the part of the Centre or Haryana Government in the handling of Jat quota protests after the opposition slammed the Government in the Rajya Sabha. It was also informed that 2,012 FIRs have been registered in connection with the Jat stir, 370 people arrested and 20 cases have been registered by the Government Railway Police.
Meanwhile, Haryana Minister Ram Bilas Sharma also hinted at more transfers in police and civil departments following the failure of authorities to maintain law and order situation during Jat stir.
When asked about the action taken against higher ups in police department after their failure to handle the situation, Sharma said that transfers at high level will be witnessed in the State.
On being asked about the absence of Cabinet Minister Karan Dev Kamboj in the Cabinet meet in a protest against Government’s decision to provide compensation to the kin of those killed in the violence during Jat stir, Sharma said that Kamboj could not attend the meeting as he was busy attending a meeting of public grievances committee in Kurukshetra.
On the finalisation of Bill to be brought in the State Assembly to give reservation to Jats, the Minister said that no discussion on this issue was held at the Cabinet meeting. The Central Committee under Union Minister Venkiah Naidu and sub-committee under Haryana Chief Secretary are already working to prepare a draft for Jat reservation, he added.