CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday accused Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, of allegedly shielding perpetrators of rape and other heinous crimes.Badal alleged that women in Punjab were being subjected to exploitation and rape despite the state often speaking about the respect accorded to women.She claimed that the victims and their families were being denied justice, while those who should face the strictest punishment were allegedly being protected by the state government.“However, the reality is that instead of being respected, women in Punjab are being raped, and the Chief Minister’s wife is shielding the perpetrators,” Badal said while speaking to ANI.She alleged that the chief minister and his wife were protecting and helping rape accused escape “in exchange for money”.“What could be more serious than this, that the victimised daughters of Punjab, who face exploitation and heinous crimes like rape, see the very people who ought to be sent to the gallows being protected by the state government, specifically the chief minister and his wife, Dr Gurpreet, in exchange for money?” she said.Badal said the allegations should concern parents across Punjab as well as people across the country, claiming that the situation in the state had deteriorated, news agency ANI reported.“Corruption was already rampant, but now that a state’s chief minister and his family are involved in shielding and helping rapists escape in exchange for money, where are the people of Punjab, its daughters, and the families of rape victims supposed to turn?” she said.
‘Punjab will never forgive her’: Badal
In a post on X, Badal made a similar allegation against Dr Gurpreet Kaur and accused her of entering into a “deal” that, she claimed, betrayed the honour of Punjab’s daughters.“Guru Doochi Bhagwant Maan’s wife Dr. Gurbreet Kaur has made a deal that betrays the honor of our daughters, and Punjab will never forgive her for this,” she wrote.She also called on people to unite in support of the “aggrieved daughters” and urged them to “drive out this corrupt Guru Doochi clan from Punjab.”Badal alleged that five girls had earlier approached the chief minister’s residence to lodge a complaint; however, no action was taken on their complaints.Instead, the girls were allegedly pressured through the police and other sources, Badal said.(With agency inputs)
