A week after a Mohali court sentenced self-styled pastor Bajinder Singh, 42, to life imprisonment till death in connection with a rape case, the Balongi (Mohali district) police on Tuesday booked a follower of the pastor for allegedly harassing and revealing the identity of the rape victim and her husband through his YouTube channel. The accused has been identified as Ashish Raj Kumar.
The victim alleged that the accused uploaded a call recording on his YouTube channel in which he revealed the identity of the victim and her husband, their address and also uploaded a CCTV footage related to her on his channel. She alleged that the accused, while talking to another follower of the pastor over phone, used derogatory words for her and her husband.
The victim alleged that such action had put her and her husband’s lives under threat by provoking the followers of Bajinder Singh. The victim lodged a complaint with the Mohali SSP following which the Balongi police registered the case.
The victim alleged that the accused uploaded the videos and audio recording on more social media channels which were viewed by over 15 million people.
On Wednesday, the victim’s husband held a press conference claiming that pastor Bajinder Singh’s supporters posted several videos on their YouTube channels, blaming the victim for “implicating” the pastor. “While his supporters are making it a religious issue, the pastor is paying for his sins and thus the court punished him. The supporters of the pastor are trying to trigger riots in the name of religion and want to spoil the atmosphere of Punjab,” the victim’s husband said.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, the victim’s husband held a press conference claiming that pastor Bajinder Singh’s supporters posted several videos on their YouTube channels, blaming the victim for “implicating” the pastor. “While his supporters are making it a religious issue, the pastor is paying for his sins and thus the court punished him. The supporters of the pastor are trying to trigger riots in the name of religion and want to spoil the atmosphere of Punjab,” the victim’s husband said.
{{/usCountry}}According to sources, the police have initiated proceedings to get these channels banned. The accused has been booked under Sections 72 (printing or publishing of information that could reveal the identity of a victim), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 356(2) (outlines the penalties for defamation), 79 (insulting a woman’s modesty through words, gestures, sounds or objects or by intruding on her privacy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) besides relevant sections of the IT Act.