Challan filed against Cong leader Shabir Khan

Trouble seems to be brewing again for Shabir Ahmad Khan, the Congress party’s star campaigner for the parliamentary polls from Jammu region.

Trouble seems to be brewing again for Shabir Ahmad Khan, the Congress party’s star campaigner for the parliamentary polls from Jammu region. Three days after the Supreme Court (SC) issued notices, the police on Thursday submitted challan before the court in the alleged sexual molestation case against the former minister.

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The Supreme Court had sent notices to Khan and the state government as the victim knocked the doors of the country’s top court to challenge the bail issued to Khan in the alleged molestation case. Well-known lawyer Indira Jaisingh reportedly has taken up the case of the victim.

The challan, where the police coalesced several statements of the staff too, may make things tougher for Khan.

The Congress leader was given a rousing reception in his home constituency of Rajouri following his bail. He is a sitting MLA from the area and, of late, emerged as star campaigner for the upcoming polls for National Conference-Congress coalition’s candidate.

On February 7, a female doctor lodged a written complaint with the police, accusing the minister’s staff of pressurising her to present herself before the minister at the civil secretariat in Srinagar. She alleged the minister forced her to sit inside a cubicle and made objectionable remarks and sexual advances.

After preliminary investigation, the police lodged an FIR under Section 354 of the Ranbir Penal Code (assault or criminal force on a woman with the intention to outrage her woman) and Section 509 RPC (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman) against him.

The public outcry forced the Congress to seek resignation from Khan, a sitting MLA from Jammu’s Rajouri, from the heath ministry’s portfolio. The minister went into hiding for six days and presented himself before the investigating officer just a day after the local court granted him an interim bail on February 12. He was granted a bail on February 18 on the grounds that he was cooperating with the police.