8 months after complaintPunjab MLA Simarjit Bains booked for rape
The woman had lodged a complaint against Bains eight months ago and had been protesting outside the office of the commissioner of police in Ludhiana for the past five months, seeking that the rape case be registered against the MLA, who represents Ludhiana’s Atam Park constituency in the assembly.In his order on July 7, additional chief judicial magistrate Harsimranjit Singh said: “Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. Extreme indeed, are the circumstances in this case at hand. The unsuspecting victim is a hapless woman stricken by adversity who was unabashedly exploited by the so-called saviour and his coterie. With the first responder, police agency having turned a blind eye to her hideous abuse, she knocked the door of the court. The real cause of concern is whether a miserable and poor victim of sexual exploitation be expected to get justice by lodging the private complaint and collecting evidence from a place alien to her and against the perpetrators who are powerful and resourceful. In case the directions for registering of case is not made, the entire case of complainant would crumble and it would tantamount to failure of justice.”.On November 16, 2020, the woman had moved a handwritten application to the commissioner of police for registering the FIR against Bains, Kamaljit Singh, Baljinder Kaur, Jasbir Kaur, Sukhchain Singh, Paramjit Singh, and Gogi Sharma of Ludhiana.The woman alleged that she had come into contact with the MLA in a property dispute but she was trapped. She claimed she received repeated phone calls and WhatsApp messages soliciting physical relationship with her and was raped repeatedly by Bains.Shiromani Akali Dal activists held a protest outside the office of the Ludhiana commissioner of police on Monday, demanding the arrest of Bains.BJP leaders also arrived at the Mini Secretariat to protest against the attack on BJP leaders in Rajpura. The main Ferozepur Road has also been blocked by protesters of both parties and traffic has been diverted.
