8 months after complaint, Punjab MLA Simarjit Bains booked for rape

Complainant had been protesting outside the office of the commissioner of police in Ludhiana for past five months, demanding the registration of the case

Punjab legislator and Lok Insaaf Party chief Simarjit Singh Bains, 51, was booked for raping a 45-year-old woman in Ludhiana on Monday.

Simarjit Singh Bains, 51, is the Lok Insaaf Party chief who represents Ludhiana’s Atam Nagar constituency in the Punjab assembly. (HT file photo)

The woman had lodged a complaint against Bains eight months ago and had been protesting outside the office of the commissioner of police in Ludhiana for the past five months, seeking that the rape case be registered against the MLA, who represents Ludhiana’s Atam Park constituency in the assembly.

The case was finally registered at the division number 6 police station on Monday on the directions issued by the district court last week.

In his order on July 7, additional chief judicial magistrate Harsimranjit Singh said: “Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. Extreme indeed, are the circumstances in this case at hand. The unsuspecting victim is a hapless woman stricken by adversity who was unabashedly exploited by the so-called saviour and his coterie. With the first responder, police agency having turned a blind eye to her hideous abuse, she knocked the door of the court. The real cause of concern is whether a miserable and poor victim of sexual exploitation be expected to get justice by lodging the private complaint and collecting evidence from a place alien to her and against the perpetrators who are powerful and resourceful. In case the directions for registering of case is not made, the entire case of complainant would crumble and it would tantamount to failure of justice.”.

The woman alleged that she had come into contact with the MLA in a property dispute but she was trapped. She claimed she received repeated phone calls and WhatsApp messages soliciting physical relationship with her and was raped repeatedly by Bains.

Shiromani Akali Dal activists held a protest outside the office of the Ludhiana commissioner of police on Monday, demanding the arrest of Bains.

BJP leaders also arrived at the Mini Secretariat to protest against the attack on BJP leaders in Rajpura. The main Ferozepur Road has also been blocked by protesters of both parties and traffic has been diverted.