Churah MLA’s aides booked in sexual harassment case

The Chamba police have registered an FIR against Churah BJP MLA Hans Raj’s personal secretary Lekh Raj and another individual Muniyaan Khan for allegedly threatening and coercing a woman to retract her earlier statements in a sexual harassment case she had filed against the legislator last year.

According to the complaint filed by the woman’s father Taj Mohammad, the MLA and his aides allegedly abducted him and his daughter and took them to Shimla, where they were threatened and forced to record a new statement denying the earlier allegations.

Taj Mohammad alleged that his daughter’s phone was confiscated and they were warned that their house would be set on fire if they did not comply. He further claimed that a written statement was prepared under duress and made to be read by his daughter in a live video. It was later circulated on social media.

The complainant said the family has been living in fear ever since and has again been facing intimidation, prompting them to approach the police once more.

The case dates back to August 2024 when the woman accused the MLA of obscene chats, demanding nude photos, and issuing threats. An FIR was filed on August 16, 2024, at the Women Police Station, Chamba, following which her statement was recorded in court. However, a few days later, she retracted her allegations in a social media live video, calling it a “misunderstanding” made under stress.

Recently, the victim — through a live video on her social media — alleged that her earlier retraction was made under pressure from the MLA and his associates. She accused them of dictating her statements and threatening to harm her family.

MLA Hans Raj has denied all allegations, terming it a political conspiracy to malign his image and disrupt the communal harmony in Churah Assembly segment. Meanwhile, Chamba Additional Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal confirmed that an FIR has been lodged against two persons.