CKD mulls action against honorary secy booked for sexual abuse

The Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) is mulling action against its honorary secretary Harinderpal Singh Sethi, a day after the Ranjit Avenue police here booked him in a sexual harassment case.

An official of the CKD, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the charges were extremely serious and had brought disrepute to the esteemed Sikh institution, which has long been recognised for its prominent role in the field of education.

Police registered a case against Sethi based on a complaint filed by a 17-year-old girl from Delhi. The girl alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Sethi on multiple occasions. The first incident reportedly occurred in Amritsar in May 2022, when she had visited the city with her mother to meet relatives.

She claimed further incidents took place in May and October 2023, the latter allegedly in her mother’s presence. Her mother has been named as a co-accused in the FIR. A purported audio of a conversation between the victim’s mother and Sethi also surfaced on social media.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the allegations, led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Parwinder Kaur. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rishabh Bhola and SHO of Ranjit Avenue Police Station Robin Hans are members of the investigating team.

SHO Robin Hans said the victim is a relative of the accused. She initially lodged a complaint with Nizamuddin police in Delhi, which registered a Zero FIR and transferred the case to the Amritsar police, as the initial incident occurred in Amritsar.

Harinderpal Sethi is the son of Santokh Singh Sethi, vice president of CKD. The organisation is currently headed by AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar.

Reacting to the development, CKD executive member Bhagwantpal Singh Sachar called the incident a stigma on the organisation and demanded Sethi’s immediate expulsion. He urged president Nijjar to take firm action.

Nijjar has stated that strict action will be taken if incriminating evidence is found during the investigation.