Haryana sexual harassment case: Bhupinder Singh Hooda demands minister Sandeep Singh’s resignation, says fair probe not possible without it

Chandigarh: Upping the ante against the ruling BJP-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) government in Haryana, the leader of the opposition and former two-time chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday demanded the immediate resignation of Sandeep Singh, who has recently been booked in a case of sexual harassment of a woman coach, alleging that a fair probe was not possible without Singh’s resignation as a minister.

It may be recalled that Singh, former Indian hockey captain, was booked in a sexual harassment case by Chandigarh police on a complaint of a junior woman athletics coach who alleged that she was harassed by Singh at his residence-cum-camp office in Chandigarh where she had gone for official work. Hours after the case, Singh stepped down as sports minister on ``moral grounds’’ on January 1, 2023. He, however, still holds the printing and stationery department portfolio.

Singh, a first-time MLA from Pehowa seat (district Kaithal), had, however, trashed the charges terming them baseless and held it was an attempt to spoil his image and that the charges were ``politically motivated’’.

Interacting with newspersons here, Hooda also alleged that the special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Haryana director general of police (DGP) in the case, would serve no purpose. He held that though he did not hold Singh guilty or innocent but he wants a fair probe. Singh should resign as a minister on moral grounds, Hooda said.

Alleging that there was no morality left in the ruling BJP-JJP government, Hooda cited an instance of the Congress rule when he was the CM and one of his ministers had resigned to ensure a fair investigation in a case.

Assailing the ruling government on SITs, Hooda pointed out that in the case of the brutal murder of a DSP in Nuh district where he was crushed to death by the mining mafia last year, the SIT had only focussed on the vehicle driver and not the mining mafia. ``SIT in the ruling government does not mean a ``special investigation team'' but ``suppress the internal truth’’, Hooda quipped demanding the case be handed over to CBI or there should be a high court-monitored probe.