Punjab Police Forms SIT To Probe 'Sexual Misconduct' Complaint Against AAP Minister

Kataruchak had allegedly approached the victim "by sending him a friend request on Facebook in 2013-14.

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police has formed a three-member special investigation team to look into a complaint of alleged “sexual misconduct” against state cabinet minister Lal Chand Kataruchak. The SIT was formed days after the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) issued a notice to the Punjab government asking it to submit an action taken report on the complaint against the AAP minister lodged by a Gurdaspur-based male.

The SIT is led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav while Gurdaspur's Senior Superintendent of Police Dayama Harish Kumar and Pathankot SSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh are members, according to an official order. The state police will also provide security to the complainant.

“Special Investigation Team (SIT) shall render complete assistance and support to the Commission in investigation into the matter,” said the order. It said the SIT will get in touch with the petitioner and take appropriate action as per law. Kataruchak is the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Bhoa seat in Pathankot and the minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.

Taking cognisance of the victim's complaint, the NCSC issued a notice to the Punjab government and asked the chief secretary and the director general of police to investigate the matter and submit an action taken report "immediately" through post or email. 

Kataruchak had allegedly approached the victim "by sending him a friend request on Facebook in 2013-14 and when he accepted it, Kataruchak allegedly started making advances", the NSCN had said on Friday, quoting from the victim's letter. "Since he was an influential person, he had promised me a government job due to which I remained mum. I was too young at that time to understand anything. But, his sexual excesses continued till 2021. However, he met me for the last time on Diwali in 2021 and he neither provided me with a job nor met me after that," the victim had claimed.

"I am now on the run and submitting the complaint in Delhi as the minister is threatening to harm me or my family," he had alleged. Recently, a video on the matter was handed over to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira for forensic examination. Purohit forwarded the forensic report of the purported "objectionable" video of Kataruchak to Chief Minister Bhawant Mann. According to the report, the video was not morphed, sources said.