In his letter, BJP leader Shanta Kumar had urged the then Haryana chief minister to take action against Ruchika's molestor DGP Rathore
In his letter, BJP leader Shanta Kumar had urged the then Haryana chief minister to take action against Ruchika's molestor DGP Rathoreu00a0
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Uneasy partnership: When he wrote the letter, Shanta Kumar was a minister in the NDA government at the centre. |
Now, a BJP leader has broken his silence over the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case. Shanta Kumar, who was the BJP vice-president in 2000, told MiD DAY that he had written a letter to then Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala, urging him to take strict action against the accused, then DGP S P S Rathore, in the case.u00a0
However, he said, instead of acting on the letter, Chautala complained to then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee about it. Shanta Kumar was consumer affairs minister in the NDA government at that time. Chautala's Indian National Lokdal was an alliance partner.
"I had written to Chautala, stating that Rathore should not hold the DGP's post. However, instead of taking action against him, Chautala complained to Vajpayee about my letter," Kumar told MiD DAY during a telephonic conversation.
Vajpayee said...
After Chautala's complaint, Vajpayee summoned Kumar to ascertain why he had written such a letter against an alliance partner. "But when he [Vajpayee] read the letter and came to know about the incident he approved of my decision. He was moved after reading it," added Kumar.
Kumar further said, "It is shameful that a person against whom such a serious case was pending was promoted to the post of the DGP and also got medals. This incident puts a question mark on the entire system."
Vajpayee reportedly talked to Chautala about Rathore's case. It was at this stage that Chautala was advised by his officers to ask Rathore to proceed on leave in the year 2000.
However, Kumar never got a reply to his letter from the Chautala government.
