Amritsar: Former minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today demanded the immediate dismissal of education minister Harjot Bains for failing to ensure justice to government school girls who were molested by their teacher in Rakh Bhangwan village.
The SAD leader visited the village today and interacted with the parents of victims besides talking to the women and elders of the village and ensuring them he would ensure justice was done in the matter.
Asserting that it was shameful that the education minister had not found it fit to visit the village and console the affected families besides ensuring justice in the case, Majithia said “Harjot Bains does not deserve to be in the chair for one day more. He should be dismissed forthwith”. He also took on chief minister Bhagwant Mann for not taking note of the action while adding that the Education department had also failed the victims. “Officials in the education department first failed to take action against the accused Rakesh Kumar and asked the victims not to make any complaint in the case”. He said even now no official from the education department had visited the village nor reached out to the victim families.
Majithia said it was even shocking that four days had passed since a case was registered against the teacher, but he was yet to be arrested. “What message are we sending out? That students from the poorer sections of society studying in government schools will not get justice? Is this the Delhi Model which is now being implemented in Punjab?”
Demanding a high-level independent probe into the entire episode, Majithia said “it is clear that an attempt was made to cover up the entire incident with school principal Gurpreet Kaur also telling parents not to report the matter to the authorities”. He said even now attempts were being made to shield the teacher with the victim families being pressured to compromise. “Even the accused teacher has not been arrested despite registration of a case against him four days back”.
The SAD leader also expressed surprise that the CCTV camera in the school was not working which he said had worked to embolden the accused. He said it was also unfortunate that the education department had done nothing to reassure parents that justice would be done to them.
Majitha assembly constituency legislator Ganieve Kaur Majithia also talked to the affected families and assured to extend all help to them. Mrs Majithia said an atmosphere of fear had crept into the minds of parents of school going girls and the government should take immediate steps to dispel their fear.
