Gurgaon: Haryana`s Minister of State for Home Gopal Kanda, whose name has cropped up in the suicide of a former flight attendant in Delhi Sunday, is not new to controversies.
In July last year, Kanda`s security personnel had badly beaten up former cricketer Atul Wassan on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway after Wassan`s car overtook his motorcade. Though the incident was captured on video, no case was registered as Wassan did not press charges.
Elected as an Independent legislator from Sirsa in the October 2009 assembly polls, Kanda joined the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in controversial circumstances. He had to be escorted out to the Sirsa airport under protection of paramilitary forces to enable him to come to Delhi and meet Hooda. The Congress had failed to get a majority in the assembly polls and needed the support of the seven Independent legislators to return to power.
A property dealer-turned-politician, Kanda, a multi-millionaire, was once considered close to former chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal leader Om Prakash Chautala but later fell out with him.
A few months after taking oath as minister, Kanda visited the income tax office in Delhi`s Jhandewalan area. He was facing serious charges, including beating up tax officers during raids at his offices. Kanda`s driver was involved in a gang rape case in Gurgaon November 2010. The victim was gang-raped in a car in the campus of Jan Pratinidhi apartments (MLA apartments) here in sector 28, where Kanda`s niece lived in the flat issued to him. The victim was working as a maid there. A case was registered.
In another incident in 2010, Kanda was caught on camera using abusive language and asking his security personnel to fire at traders who were observing as strike in Sirsa district after his motorcade was stopped during the protest.
IANS