A court here on Wednesday convicted AAP MLA from Khadoor Sahib, Manjinder Singh Lalpura, and 10 others in a 12-year-old molestation and assault case.
Additional sessions judge Prem Kumar will pronounce the quantum of sentence on September 12. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Additional sessions judge Prem Kumar will pronounce the quantum of sentence on September 12. Following the conviction, the MLA and other accused were taken into custody and later shifted to Patti sub-jail.
Lalpura is the fifth AAP legislator in Punjab to be arrested by the police/vigilance bureau. His arrest comes close on the heels of a rape case against Sanaur MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra who is on the run since September 2.
“MLA Lalpura and other accused have been convicted under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 148 (rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence) and section 4 of SC/ST Act,” said complainant’s counsel Amit Dhawan.
Sharing further details, he said, “Of the total accused, seven—Lalpura, Saraj Singh, Davinder Kumar, Kawaldeep Singh, Ashwani Kumar, Tarsem Singh and Harjinder Singh—who were present in the court, were taken into custody, while Gagandeep Singh, Narinderjit Singh and Gurdeep Raj are yet to be arrested. Another accused Harvinder Singh Sushi is already in Tihar Jail”.
“I am very happy today as justice has been delivered finally. I fought a long battle for it and even faced death threats from the culprits. I hope that the court will award stringent punishment to the guilty,” said the complainant who hails from the same district.
The complainant, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, was allegedly assaulted by the accused, including Lalpura and some cops from the Tarn Taran police on March 3, 2013. The incident took place when the complainant along with her family members came to a marriage palace on Goindwal Road for a wedding function. At that time, Lalpura was a taxi driver, said the complainant’s counsel.
The incident led to widespread condemnation and the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance, directing paramilitary force protection for the victim and her cousin, who was an eyewitness, and her family members
Lalpura had contested the 2022 assembly elections from the Khadoor Sahib seat and defeated Congress’ Ramanjit Singh Sikki by a margin of 16,491 votes.
Lalpura is not the only AAP legislator in Punjab to have found himself on the wrong side of the law. In May 2022, vigilance bureau had arrested former health minister and party’s Mansa MLA Vijay Singla on corruption charges. Bathinda Rural AAP MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta was also nabbed by the VB in a graft on February 23, 2023.
On May 24 this year, the VB arrested Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora in a corruption case that also involved a municipal corporation official. Sanaur MLA Pathanmajra was arrested briefly in a rape case before his dramatic escape from police custody.
Oppn targets ruling AAP
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the AAP leader’s involvement and subsequent conviction in a molestation and assault case clearly shows a disturbing pattern. “Time and again, AAP leaders have faced such serious allegations. This reflects open tolerance of the AAP leadership towards immoral and criminal behaviour,” he alleged.
Shiromani Akali Dal vice-president and former Khadoor Sahib MLA Ravinder Singh Brahmpura said Lalpura’s conviction showed the AAP government’s “true criminal character”. “This verdict exposes the ‘staunchly honest’ facade of the AAP. After being found guilty of persecuting a Dalit family, Lalpura has lost the moral right to sit in the assembly,” he added.