Opposition attacks Manohar Lal Khattar over Faridabad sexual harassment case

CHANDIGARH: A day after an associate professor and two other employees of a government college in Faridabad were put under suspension over allegations of sexual harassment of college girls, the opposition parties on Friday intensified their attack on the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana.
After AICC communication incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala targeting the state government on Thursday, national coordinator of the Women Congress Ranjeeta Mehta on Friday lashed out at the Khattar government, accusing it of shielding the guilty.
“What stops the government from arresting the accused? They are accused of heinous crime... This shows how lenient this government is with wrongdoers. Where has the slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padao gone?’’ she said.
Manoj Aggarwal, the district president of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in Panchkula, also flayed the government over delayed action and cited an incident of Panchkula where three boys had made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap a young girl from busy road.
“Faridabad case is based on letter and the accused have already been identified. Similarly, in Panchkula, instead of launching the search for boys who tried to kidnap girl, the cops turned away the eyewitnesses who had saved the girl. How will people come forward if police and government continue to behave like this? It’s ‘jungle raj’ now,’’ said Aggarwal.
Navin Jahind of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also censured the government over the incident. “You should not expect quick action in Haryana. Instead of acting pro-actively, the cops in Faridabad would wait for directions from Chandigarh.”
Meanwhile, CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s media advisor Rajiv Jain has denied any kind of delay in action.
“Soon after the reports appeared in the media, the director general of higher education department placed the errant college officials under suspension with immediate effect. Now, the FIR has also been registered,’’ he said.
The suspension of the associate professor, a junior laboratory assistant and a peon came after the victim complained to the college principal about their sexual overtures and also presented a recording of conversation between her and the laboratory assistant.
According to the aggrieved girl, the accused would first get friendly with girl students at the time of admission and then they would target those who had to reappear for examinations, promising them every kind of help.