The Himachal Pradesh Women’s Commission Monday sought a report from Chamba police after taking cognisance of a video in which a woman accused the BJP legislator from Churah Assembly constituency, Hans Raj, of “harassing” her and threatening her family members. The MLA, meanwhile, has said that woman was “like my daughter,” but accused her of trying to create “communal tension”.
In statement, Commission chairperson Vidya Negi said that she has asked Chamba Superintendent of Police (SP) to visit the spot and conduct an inquiry.
“The SP has been asked to investigate the allegations at ground zero and file a report, and provide security to the woman and her family, if necessary,” Negi said.
She said, a complaint has been received from the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) demanding an impartial investigation and strict action against the BJP MLA. An organisation, Mahila Janwadi Samiti, has also submitted a complaint, demanding justice for the victim. “The complaints have been forwarded to the Chamba SP,” Negi said.
The controversy erupted Saturday after the woman went live on Facebook accusing the MLA of harassing her family members. In the video, the woman alleged that some people tried to defame her by claiming she had taken money to level the allegations against Hans Raj. She also claimed she was pressured to withdraw her complaint. “If any harm comes to my family members, I will not spare the MLA,” she said.
The woman also alleged that Hans Raj’s wife was issuing threats, claiming that the MLA would “settle scores” when he becomes a minister. She said the MLA “has ruined my life” and that she now had nothing to lose. She added that she took to social media because she had no faith in the police or other agencies, accusing them of taking “no action” and pressuring her to reach a compromise with the MLA.
The woman was also seen accusing a doctor and a junior engineer of misbehaving with her father.
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Hans Raj, meanwhile, dubbed the charges against him as “a propaganda under a planned conspiracy”.
In a video, the three-time MLA said the woman was “like my daughter,” but had made similar allegations last year.
“Last year, the same woman made the same allegation against him. I cooperated with the police in their investigation and handed over my cell phone, but nothing was found. Later, the woman retracted her allegations and withdrew the complaint against me. Now, she is again levelling allegations against me,” he said, adding he was “unable to understand her motive.”
The MLA said, “The fresh charges against me appear to be part of a conspiracy by certain individuals in a bid to incite communal tensions in Churah ”. Urging the police to investigate the matter, he said the issue was serious and that he would file a defamation case to “get to the root of the matter.”
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The Himachal Pradesh Police, in August last year, had booked Hans Raj for allegedly sending obscene messages and demanding nude photos and threatening the woman, who is the daughter of a BJP worker. The FIR was registered under Section 75 (making obscene remarks) and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Though the FIR was registered at the Woman Police Station in Chamba on August 9, it came to fore on August 19 after its copies were shared on the social media. Hours later that day, the woman went live on Facebook with her father by her side. She said she had filed the complaint “under mental stress and after being lured by someone”. “There are leaders of Congress and people in media spreading wrong facts about the entire incident. I want to urge with folded hands that people should not make all this an issue,” the woman had said.
