As demands for a CBI probe into the alleged suicide of a Dalit man in Sangrur grew louder, the High Court here asked the Punjab government on Wednesday to file a status report in the case while state minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who is at the centre of the row, broke his silence, accusing the opposition of hatching a conspiracy to “frame” him.
this is the first time that the minister has himself responded to the allegations While the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab had come out in defence of Cheema.
BJP MP Tarun Chugh met the family of Gulzar Singh and demanded a CBI probe. Apart from Cheema’s resignation, the opposition parties have also been demanding an independent probe into Singh’s death. They have sought an FIR against Cheema after Gulzar Singh’s purported video of his last moments surfaced, in which he spoke about questioning the finance minister. A video purportedly of Singh’s last moments had surfaced in which he spoke about questioning the finance minister, prompting opposition parties to demand the resignation of Cheema and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Chugh said he would soon take up the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and seek an investigation by the central agency so that the truth can emerge without political or administrative pressure.
Petitioner Ravinder Singh Sampla said the court has asked the Punjab government to file a status report and conduct a proper investigation into the incident. Sampla said he has prayed for a CBI probe into the daily wager’s death as he apprehends that the Punjab Police would not conduct a proper investigation. However, Cheema alleged that the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal are “hatching a conspiracy on how to frame a minister”.
