Jind school sexual harassment case resonates in Haryana assembly winter session

The sexual exploitation of minor girls by the principal of a school in Uchana of Jind resonated in the state assembly on the opening day of the three day winter session with deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala and Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal entering into an angry exchange of words.

Dushyant, who is the JJP MLA from Uchana Kalan assembly constituency in Jind, accused Bhukkal of sheltering the accused school principal when she was the state education minister in 2011.

Bhukkal responded by saying that Dushyant’s allegations were baseless and the deputy chief minister should either present evidence to back his allegations or tender an apology in the House.

The sharp exchanges between the two were followed by interventions by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Abhay Chautala who sought a judicial probe and chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar who also called for an inquiry to establish the veracity of the assertions made in the House. Assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta then assured the House that a written request on behalf of the state assembly will be made to the Punjab and Haryana high court for an investigation in the matter by a judge.

An angry war of words erupted when Bhukkal drew attention of the Speaker to Dushyant’s allegations that in 2005 and 2011, the principal accused of sexually exploiting minor girls of Uchana school was let off the hook during the Congress rule.

The deputy CM alleged that the Uchana was not the first case of this principal’s wrongdoing.

“A sub-divisional magistrate got a daily diary report (DDR) registered against him in 2005. Another DDR was registered in 2011 (Makhod village case). However, no first information report (FIR) was ever registered against him. You as the then education minister provided him patronage. In fact, a panchayat was held at her residence in Jhajjar to sort out the matter. The police should be asked to investigate,’’ Dushyant maintained.

A visibly fuming Bhukkal slammed Dushyant’s allegation and demanded that he should give proof to back his allegations or tender an apology. “I swear that I did not protect the accused. How can the deputy CM take my name,’’ Bhukkal said. Dushyant, however, said that Bhukkal as education minister got the DDR cancelled.

The Congress MLA said she was willing to give a sworn affidavit that he never protected the accused principal.

Congress MLA BB Batra then asked whether Dushyant had any evidence to back his claim that a meeting to brush this matter under the carpet took place at Bhukkal’s residence in Jhajjar.

The deputy CM said he would like the education department present entire record pertaining to the accused principal in the House.

Education minister Kanwar Pal said the present government registered a case against the principal and he was terminated from government service and put behind the bars.

The chief minister then intervened to say that the matter should be probed by a police or education department official.

Abhay Chautala said going by the statements in the House, a DDR was lodged which was later withdrawn by the government and a meeting was called at the Congress MLA’s residence. “ Both these allegations need to be probed. A judicial probe should be conducted to bring out the truth,’’ Abhay said.

Dushyant proposed that a serving judge of the high court should be requested to probe the matter.