- By Anjali
Singh Deswal
BATHINDA: In another unfortunate incident
which speaks volumes of the increasing
lawlessness in the state, an Akali sarpanch has been
booked for rape here. The police made every attempt to keep the
man's political affiliations under cover.
The rape comes within a month after as
ASI was killed in Amritsar by an Akali leader
for defending his daughter against eve-teasing.
The accused has been identified as
Sukhdeep Singh, Naruana village's sarpanch, and
he is a member of the SAD party. He has been charged
for raping a girl on the pretext of marriage and not telling her
that he was married already. The girl was
allegedly raped for five years.
The girl is a resident of Bathinda and
25-year-old. Due to the victim being from
oppressed class, a case has been registered against the
sarpanch under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act of
1989.
The Sections under which the case is
registered are 376 for rape, 420 for cheating,
494 for bigamy and 495 for concealment of former
marriage from other wife of the IPC. Gurmeet Singh is the
investigating officer and when he was asked about the political
affiliation of the accused, he expressed ignorance.
The victim stated, "Sukdeep Singh raped
me for five years on the pretext of marrying
me."
The investigating officer stated that a
case has been registered against the sarpanch
but he didn't know that he was a sarpanch.
Police sources confirmed later that
Sukdeep was a sarpanch and was affiliated to the
SAD.
In a similar incident, a woman who is
25-years-old stated that Leela Singh from
Maisarkhana village, who is 30-year-old, raped her on
October 20 when she was all alone at her house. Leela Singh was her
husband's business partner. A case under Sections 376 for rape and
34 for common intent in crime, has been
registered against Leela Singh.
He has not been arrested yet.
