Punjab: Khadoor Sahib MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura sentenced to four years in Dalit woman molestation case

CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura, who represents the Khadoor Sahib Assembly constituency, was sentenced on Friday to four years of imprisonment in a case related to the molestation and assault of a Dalit woman. Additional Sessions Judge of Tarn Taran, Prem Kumar, handed down the sentence in connection with the 2013 assault and molestation case. Lalpura was convicted on September 10. Subsequently, he was arrested and remanded into custody. According to the victims counsel, Amit Dhawan, the case was registered under Sections 323, 324, and 354 of the IPC, along with provisions of the SC/ST Act. In total, 12 persons were convicted: seven have been arrested, one is deceased, one is already lodged in Tihar Jail, and three others, who are wanted in connection with the case, are still absconding. The victim told the media that she was satisfied with the verdict, as she had to fight a long and difficult battle against the accused. At the time of the 2013 incident, Lalpura was working as a taxi driver. The incident occurred at a wedding hall in Tarn Taran, where the victim was allegedly caned by police personnel from the Tarn Taran police station, along with Lalpura. She was also molested during the police assault. Lalpura was arrested days after another AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra from Sanaur was booked for rape and cheating. He escaped from the custody of Patiala police from Karnal in Haryana. In June this year the state vigilance bureau had arrested Raman Arora, AAP MLA representing Jalandhar (Central) constituency in a corruption case. A corporation official was also involved in the case. In February, 2023 Amit Rattan Kotfatta MLA representing Bathinda (Rural) constituency was arrested in a graft case. In 2022, a few months after the AAP government came to power, the then health minister and Mansa MLA Vijay Singla was arrested on corruption charges. These arrests have dented the image of the ruling party. A senior AAP leader on condition of anonymity said that all these controversies have hurt the public perception of the government which now needs to be improved. On the other hand, the party leadership claimed that the arrests of these legislators are evidence enough that the government is committed to zero tolerance for wrongdoing. Spokesman of Punjab AAP, Neel Garg said that, he law has taken its own course Lalpura's case. The incident for which he was sentenced took place before he became an MLA. Our stand is clear. We'll not defend any person involved in wrong doings, he added.