Bansi Lal's wife is not under house arrest: Hooda

Chandigarh, Sep 19 (UNI) Countering the claims of former BCCI chief and late Haryana strongman Bansi Lal's son Ranbir Singh Mahendra, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today denied that the widow of the former Chief Minister was being kept under ''house arrest.'' ''Mr Bansi's Lal's wife has been provided protection and security. There is no house arrest or any such thing,'' Mr Hooda said while talking to reporters.

During the obituary references in the Assembly yesterday, Mr Mahendra drew the attention of the members to the alleged ''house arrest'' his mother had been subjected to at her Bhiwani residence which had been surrounded by the policemen.

While the late leader's widow Vidya Devi is living on the ground floor of his Bhiwani house, the first floor is occupied by his daughter-in-law and Haryana Tourism Minister Kiran Choudhury and her daughter Shruti.

Mr Mahendra had recently alleged that Ms Chaudhry and her daughter were responsible for the police presence outside the family house.

Making an appeal to media persons not to sensationalise the family matters of the departed leader, Mr Hooda said efforts should be made instead to create an amiable atmosphere among the members of the illustrious family.

He refused to comment any further on the family dispute saying it was their personal matter.

After Mr Bansi Lal's death, Mr Mahendra had been alleging that his mother was being kept in ''house arrest'' by the police at the behest Ms Choudhury and Shruti.

The former BCCI chief had also demanded that the house be turned into a memorial of his father.

But Shruti had expressed reservations to the proposal, saying Mr Mahendra, his sister and brother-in-law all had inherited property in Bhiwani and they should first vacate their houses for the memorial before telling her to do so.

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