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Several Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) womens wing leaders, including MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia, were detained on Saturday when they were heading towards Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's official residence during their protest march over the alleged Rs 5 crore corruption case involving Punjab CM's wife.
Last month, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to CM Mann's wife Gurpreet Kaur following allegations that Rs 5 crore was demanded and accepted to allegedly shield an accused in a rape case. Speaking to reporters, Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged that the dignity of women in Punjab was being compromised and accused the Chief Minister and his family of failing to act on the matter. "When the honour and dignity of the women of Punjab start being auctioned off, and the ones doing it are the Chief Minister and his wife, what bigger misfortune could there be for Punjab? Against this, today the women of Punjab have taken to the streets," she said. She questioned why no case had been registered against Gurpreet Kaur and her brother-in-law Amardeep Singh over the allegations. "Why is this Chief Minister silent today? Why has no case been registered against Gurpreet Kaur and her brother-in-law, Amardeep Singh?" she asked. The SAD leader also raised questions over alleged action against police officials, claiming that some accused in serious cases were helped to leave the country. "Why are cases not being filed against the police officers who freed rapists from jail and sent them abroad?" she said. Earlier on Thursday, a SAD delegation led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Punjab Governor Gulab Singh Kataria at Lok Bhawan in Chandigarh and submitted a 300-page dossier, seeking a CBI inquiry into the allegations. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that the state government was attempting to protect a rape accused and appealed to the media to highlight the issue. "On one side is the rapist and those protecting him, and on the other side are those helpless girls. I want to see which side the media takes. If you do not show our press conference or highlight this issue, it means you are under pressure from the Punjab government and supporting the rapist. I hope the media will stand with those helpless girls," Badal said. (ANI)
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