M A I N   N E W S

3 ministers accused of abduction
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Feb 7 — The Kangra Zila Parishad election may cast its shadow on the winter sojourn of the Chief Minister as the Congress today threatened to launch an agitation, alleging abduction and harassment of two other Backward Classes (OBC) women members by some ministers to prevent them from casting their votes.

It was today, two days after the BJP registered a victory in the zila parishad election, that the Congress MLA from Nagrota, Mr G.S. Bali, made a startling revelation that two Congress zila parishad members belonging to the OBC were allegedly abducted by three BJP ministers — Mr Kishan Kapoor, Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, Mr Ravinder Thakur — and BJP district president Duloa Ram. 

Presenting the two members, Mrs Swarna Devi from Ward No 15 and Mrs Punya Devi from Ward No 14, before mediapersons, he alleged that the BJP had tried to win the election by terrorising the women, who were kept in “illegal custody” on the day of the election.

The women, along with their husbands, said even the police had refused to register an FIR when they approached the Nagrota police. They filed an affidavit before the Magistrate, Kangra, today, accusing the three ministers and one MLA of abducting them, trying to lure them by offering money, and keeping them in custody on the day of the election.

“It was on February 4 at 12.30 p.m. that two persons came to my house, saying that a car had been sent by Mr Navneet Sharma to take us to Mrs Chandresh Kumari’s (Rajya Sabha member) house”, Mrs Swarna Devi disclosed.

After getting in touch with Mrs Punya Devi, they were taken in the car to a hotel in McLeodganj, along with their husbands. They alleged that despite their stiff opposition, they were forcibly kept there and offered money. Later, when they refused, they were taken to Mandi at two in the night in government vehicles. Armed men accompanied them.

“We were terrorised and asked to keep quiet and finally left at Thakurdwara near Palampur at 4 p.m. on February 5 after election had been conducted”, revealed Mrs Punya Devi. She said even the police refused to register a case against the ministers.

Mr Bali alleged that armed men from Punjab and Jammu had been called to terrorise the members at the behest of the ministers.

He said the women members would approach the high court to get the election result cancelled. He said if the Chief Minister did not sack the ministers, police officials and others who were involved in the incident, the Congress would hold protests during his tour of Kangra.