BJP, SAD leaders among 4 booked in suicide case

Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 23

The police have booked BJP councillor Rakesh, alias Titu Chhabra, SAD district traders’ wing convener Mohinder Pratap, alias Kali Bathla, his brother Harinder Bathla and nephew Arpit Bathla for abetting a girl’s suicide here last year.

Responding to a complaint referred to the Home Affairs Department by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission on November 10 last year, a case has been registered against the accused under Sections 306, 201, 506 and 120B of the IPC. The hearing in the case has been fixed for June 25.

The commission had taken cognisance of a complaint sent by a girl in the form of a suicide note. The complainant submitted that she was in love with Arpit Bathla and was two-month pregnant with his child. “When she told her parents about this, they thrashed her badly, following which she decided to commit suicide and held all concerned responsible for the extreme action.”

Commission chairman Justice (retd) Ashutosh Mohunta along with member Avinash Kaur had directed the state government to get the complaint probed through the Fazilka district police chief under Section 17(1) of the Protection of Human Rights Act-1993 and submit the report by January 30 this year.

In his report, Abohar SP said the victim and Arpit Bathla were studying in Chandigarh and were in love. “Kali Bathla and his brother Harinder Bathla approached the girl’s father to arrange their marriage. The father agreed to hold the marriage after Diwali. After appearing in her term exams, the girl came to Abohar on October 7, 2018 and she reportedly told her mother that Arpit was harassing her.

After the suicide, Harinder, Mohinder and Titu reached the victim’s house at Sunder Nagari, expressed sympathies and advised them to cremate the body immediately. “As they were highly influential leaders of the ruling parties, we succumbed to the pressure and hurriedly consigned our daughter’s body to flames,” the father of the victim said.

Councillor in spot 

• A case has been registered against BJP councillor Rakesh alias Titu Chhabra, SAD district leader Mohinder Pratap alias Kali Bathla, his brother Harinder Bathla and nephew Arpit Bathla.
• The FIR was lodged after the matter was taken up by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission. 
• The victim, who was reportedly in relationship with Arpit, had committed suicide following “harassment” by the accused.