The Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against Punjab Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak. The SIT, headed by DIG Narendra Bhargava and comprising two SSPs, was established after Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira handed over videos containing “highly objectionable content” of Kataruchak to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
The forensic report of the video, forwarded by the Governor to CM Mann, confirmed that the video was not morphed. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to the Punjab government after the victim sent a letter accusing the minister of threatening him and his family. According to the letter, Kataruchak allegedly approached the victim on Facebook in 2013-14, promising him a government job, and allegedly started making advances when the victim accepted his friend request.
The victim claimed that Kataruchak’s sexual advances continued until 2021, but he did not provide the promised job. The victim alleged that the minister is threatening to harm him and his family, and he is now on the run, submitting the complaint in Delhi. The issue has sparked a row in Punjab, with the BJP demanding Kataruchak’s resignation. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla demanded an impartial probe into the incident, saying that Kataruchak was a “heavyweight” minister in the Punjab government and had “a very close relationship” with CM Mann and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Poonawalla called the incident a “terrifying story of sexual exploitation, sexually predatory behavior, sexual grooming, debauchery, and most of all, moral turpitude and moral degradation to the lowest levels.” Kataruchak, 52, is an MLA from Bhoa in Pathankot and is the Punjab food and civil supplies minister. The SIT’s investigation is expected to reveal the extent of Kataruchak’s alleged involvement in the videos and the allegations of sexual misconduct.
