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Sexual misconduct allegation: Haryana DGP forms 3-member inquiry panel
The allegation against the Haryana sports minister was made by a junior athletics coach from the state on Thursday and a day later, she approached police with a complaint
: After a junior athletics coach lodged a complaint with Chandigarh police accusing Haryana sports minister Sandeep Singh of sexual misconduct, Haryana director general of police (DGP) P K Agrawal has also constituted a committee to “conduct an in-depth” inquiry into the matter that has snowballed into a major political controversy, with the chorus demanding the minister’s resignation gaining momentum.
“A complaint was received from Sandeep Singh, who is a minister of state, sports and youth affairs, Haryana,” according to an order issued by DGP Agrawal.
The three-member committee will be headed by Mamta Singh, additional director general of police ( Rohtak Range). Sumer Partap Singh, deputy commissioner of police (DCP-Panchkula) and Raj Kumar Kaushik, Haryana Police Service, assistant commissioner of police (ACP- Panchkula) will be the other members of the panel.
Directing the committee to “conduct an in-depth inquiry into the subject matter immediately” and submit its report at the earliest, the order of the DGP reads that “allegations in this regard are also circulating on social and electronic media.”
The woman coach had on Thursday alleged that Singh, a former hockey captain and sitting BJP MLA from Pehowa in Kurukshetra, indulged in sexual misconduct when she visited his official residence in Chandigarh.
The woman visited the Chandigarh police headquarters on Friday and had met SSP Manisha Choudhary and SP Shruti Arora.
The minister, however, has dismissed the charge as baseless and has called for an independent probe.
Meanwhile, the Chandigarh police on Saturday said an inquiry will be conducted into the allegation of sexual harassment against the minister and all aspects will be looked into.
“The complaint has been filed and an inquiry will be conducted into all aspects,” said an official of the police station where the complaint of the woman, a coach in the Haryana sports department, has been marked, according to a PTI report.
Sandeep Singh, who is a BJP leader, had also said he would lodge a complaint against her for tarnishing his image.
The minister of state reportedly also met Haryana Vidhan Sabha speaker Gian Chand Gupta.
Haryana Mahila Congress on Saturday threatened to launch agitation if the state government does not remove the sports minister and order probe by a retired high court judge.
Sports minister should resign on moral grounds: Udai Bhan
KARNAL: Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Udai Bhan on Saturday demanded that Haryana sports minister Sandeep Singh should resign immediately on moral grounds.
“The minister has no right to remain on his seat. He should resign immediately until the investigation is completed. If he does not resign, the chief minister should sack him for a fair investigation,” he said during a programme organised for the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kurukshetra.
Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda said that a fair investigation was not possible without the resignation of the minister. The government should ensure that the woman gets justice, he added.
Former Haryana chief minister and leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda had on Friday demanded a fair probe into the matter.
“The government should initiate a fair probe into the matter and a fair probe can’t be possible until he (Sandeep Singh) remains the minister,” Hooda said while talking to media in Bhiwani.
