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Police takes custody of MP Katara
Nalini Ranjan

New Delhi, April 19
A Delhi court today remanded suspended BJP MP Babubhai Katara to 10-day police custody in a human trafficking case.

The woman, Paramjeet Kaur, who was arrested along with Katara at Indira Gandhi International Airport yesterday, was remanded to four-day police custody.

Both accused were produced before additional chief metropolitan magistrate Kamini Lau, who accepted the Delhi police application that their custodial interrogation was necessary.

The 16-year-old juvenile Amarjeet, who was arrested with them, had been sent to a remand home, the police informed the court.

Katara's counsel Ajit Chopra objected to the Delhi police seeking his 10-day remand contending that his role was minimal in the case.

The counsel submitted that his alleged secretary Rajender used to arrange his travel.

After this, the court wanted to know from Katara as to how many times he had been abroad to which the tribal MP replied that he had visited twice.

However, the Delhi police said Katara's 10-day custodial interrogation was needed as he had to be taken to several places in Punjab to unearth his alleged involvement in the human trafficking racket.

The police disclosed that it had recovered three other passports of his other family members from his possession.

The investigating officer informed the court that the arrested MP had earlier also taken other persons on his wife's diplomatic passport to a foreign country.

Meanwhile, Amarjeet was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board here which remanded him to 14-day judicial custody.

Left attacks BJP on Katara issue
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 19
The Left parties today used the Babubhai Katara issue to hit back at the BJP by asking it to ponder why it had become a refuge for venal and corrupt people. The shocking and disgraceful act by the Lok Sabha MP reflects badly on his status as a parliament member and his party and the BJP should come to terms with the reality, the CPM Politburo in a statement said.

This episode has come soon after six of its MPs were expelled from parliament for accepting bribes for questions. The BJP, instead of talking about its clean image and “Su-Raj” should ponder why it had become a refuge for venal and corrupt people, it said.

The CPI sought stringent action against the MP from Gujarat for using the diplomatic passports issued to his wife and son for this mercenary purpose. The CPI demanded that apart from forgery and cheating charges, the angle of human trafficking should be thoroughly probed and stringent action must be taken.

The 46-year-old Katara, a second-term MP from Dahod, was arrested by the police following a complaint from immigration officials when he came along with Paramjeet Kaur and her son, Amarjeet, who were posing as his wife Sharadaben and son, Rajesh, to take an Air-India flight to Toronto. The fraud was detected at the boarding gate by the Air-India staff who objected that the photographs did not match with the passport.