Kurukshetra : Locals held a protest against Haryana minister Sandeep Singh for unfurling the national flag during a Republic Day event at Pehowa in Kurukshetra district on Thursday. Sandeep Singh, an MLA from Pehowa, is facing charges of harassment from a woman coach while serving as the state's minister for sports and youth affairs.
"I will continue to protest against him at every place. I will not stop this protest even if the Khattar government tries to stop me. The Khattar government is sheltering a minister, who is facing criminal charges of harassing a daughter of Haryana. An apavitra (impure) man unfurled the Tricolour. We will continue our protest until Sandeep Singh resigns and goes behind bars," a local identified as Sonia said.
A few supporters of Sandeep Singh tried to stop Sonia and even pulled her shawl. In a video, one of the supporters was purportedly seen with Sonia's shawl in his hand and trying to put the same around her. Constables were seen draging Sonia out of the venue.
Last month, a woman, who is a junior athlete coach, alleged that the then sports minister harassed her from February to November last year, through repeated messages on social media, touched her inappropriately and also threatened her in messages. The Khaps of Haryana had been demanding that the BJP-led government in the state sack Singh.
Earlier on Monday, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Gupta wrote to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, seeking Singh's removal from the Cabinet. In his letter to Governor, Gupta wrote, "Sandeep Singh, a Minister in Haryana, is facing a criminal case for outraging the modesty of a woman coach.
An agitation is going on in Haryana for his removal from Haryana Cabinet. But now a new unfortunate and awkward situation has arisen because the State Government has allotted him Pehowa in Kurukshetra District to unfurl the Tricolour on the Republic Day." Chandigarh Police registered an FIR against Singh under sections 354, 354A, 354B, 342, and 506 of the IPC and initiated an investigation.
Amid the allegations, Singh on January 1 said that he had handed over the responsibility of the Sports Department to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar pending the investigation. He added that the allegations against him were made to spoil his image.