Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formed a three-member SIT to inquire allegations of sexual misconduct against Food and Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.
Thus following the intervention by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and notice by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes the committee is constituted.
The SIT, to be headed by Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Border Range-Amritsar, Narinder Bhargav, will probe the complaint filed by a Gurdaspur-based victim to the national SC panel alleging sexual misconduct over the years by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kataruchak, besides the threat to life from him.
Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dayama Harish Kumar Omprakash and Pathankot SSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh are the other members of the SIT.
As per the orders issued by the Punjab Police’s Bureau of Investigation (BoI) director, the SIT has also been directed to provide security to the victim-complainant.
The victim alleged Punjab minister for sexual misconduct by saying that he came to his contact through Facebook during 2013-14 and this behaviour of sexual misconduct continued upto 2021. He also added as he was very young at that time and the alleged minister promised her government job she couldn't protest against such a powerful person.
The victim who is from Schedule class community and claimed to be a Pathankot resident coming on camera,said that it was him who was shown in the video that was handed over to the Governor by Congress leader Khaira. In the video, he had also alleged that he had been subjected to sexual misconduct by Kataruchak when “I was very young” — from 2013 to 2014, which continued till 2021.
I was too young at that time to understand anything…Later, Kataruchak called me to Gurdaspur…I refused saying that I don’t have enough money. He promised me that he will give me money once I come to meet him at Gurdaspur…He picked me from the bus stand and took me to his office for his sexual excesses,” said the man in the video.
The “victim” also added that he met Kataruchak for the last time on Diwali in 2021. “He then promised me a government job stating that he would become an MLA soon. After that he did not meet me and asked me not to approach him,” the “victim” alleged.
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