AICC team inquires allegation of sexual exploitation against MLA

Patna, May 7 (UNI) An inquiry team, constituted by women cell of the All India Congress Committee(AICC), completed its investigation into the allegation of sexual exploitation against party MLA Sunita Devi by a security guard and would submit its report to party high command in New Delhi tomorrow.

General secretaries of All India Mahila Congress Mahejabeen Khan and Ms Shikha Kapoor - members of the inquiry committee, told UNI today they had recorded the statement of MLA Sunita Devi in Patna and also visited Korha constituency of Katihar for an on the spot probe into the allegation.

'' Majority of the people examined during the investigation in Katihar have expressed their anguish over the incident and dubbed the allegation of security guard as rubbish, '' they said adding some of them, however, also gave different versions.

'' We have verified the allegations from all possible angles and tried to reach the bottom of the truth and will submit our report to the party high command tomorrow, '' they said and added the Congress leadership would take a decision on the matter on the basis of the report.

They refused to divulge the report, saying it would be improper to do the same before submitting it to the party high command. When pressed, they said the security guard, Baljogeshwar alias Lali, should have reported the matter to persons concerned two years back when the alleged sexual exploitation by Sunita Devi started.

'' How a government security guard can allow himself to be exploited for so long and suddenly go to media with such allegation, '' they said adding statement of Lali was self- explanatory in nature.

Talking about the photograph being used by Lali in support of his allegation, they said it was not as such which vindicates his charges and the photograph was casual in nature.

The Bihar government had already suspended the guard, finding him prima facie guilty in the case.

Both leaders welcomed the Women Reservation Bill to be tabled in Rajya Sabha tomorrow and thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the initiative, saying the 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and Assemblies would prove a major milestone in women empowerment.

Earlier, Lali had levelled allegation against Congress MLA Sunita Devi from Korha Assembly constituency in Katihar that she had exploited him sexually for two years when he was posted as body gurad of the Legislator.

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