Punjab Oppn Cries ‘Coverup’ as Complainant Retracts His Sexual Exploitation Charge against AAP Minister

In what sparked a political spark, the ‘victim’ in the sexual exploitation case against Punjab Government Minister Lal Chand Katharuchak withdrew his complaint before the Punjab Police and alleged that an allegedly explicit video of the abuse had been manipulated. The opposition shouted a “cover-up” to protect the minister.

The complainant had earlier claimed that he had been exploited by the Minister for several years and that the National Classified Classification Commission (NCSC) had issued a notification to the State Government after which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed. The governor also ordered Banwari Lal Purohit to register a criminal case against the minister.

The Special Investigations Unit headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Narendra Bhargava submitted its report to the commission on Monday. The report says that the complainant appeared before the Special Investigation Department and stated that he withdraws the complaint and wants to live a normal life. He added that an alleged video clip of his exploitation was not real.

The opposition claimed it was a cover-up. Congress leader Sakhbal Khaira, who addressed the alleged issue in a complaint to the governor, tweeted about the matter.

Shiromani leader Akali Dal Bikram Singh Majithiya requested in a letter to the governor to order the registration of a case against Hizb minister Aam Aadmi in Chandigarh, in which the governor would be responsible.

He said it was strange that the Punjab government did not trust the forensic analysis of the video conducted by the governor.

Withdrawal of the case may also lead to a new confrontation between the chief minister of Punjab and the governor’s office as the latter claimed that the video evidence provided is real and a criminal case should be registered against the minister.