Early Times Report
Jammu, July 12: A BJP MLA, accused by an ex-serviceman of abducting his daughter from a college in Punjab, today appeared before the disciplinary committee of the party here, hours after noisy protest by a group of people led by the girl's grandfather.
On June 24, Rajinder Singh accused R S Pura MLA Gagan Bhagat of abducting his daughter from Desh Bhagat University, Punjab, where she was pursuing Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) course, a charge denied by the girl as well as the politician who termed the allegation as an attempt to defame him.
On the same day the girl had also claimed that she is facing "death threat" from her family which wanted to marry her to a person against her wishes.
I am before you and nobody kidnapped me. The allegations are fake. He (MLA) is a very good person. My family are supporters of PDP and may be that is the reason... They are forcing me to marry someone who has not even clear his 12th class while as I am doing BAMS, she had said.
Bhagat was served a notice on July 4 by the party to appear before the disciplinary committee after taking note of media reports, offensive pictures of him with the girl on social media and complaints to police by the girl's family.
Prior to appearing before the three-member disciplinary committee headed by BJP's chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi, Bhagat refuted all the allegations against him and claimed it was a conspiracy hatched by his rivals who failed to match him professionally.
Earlier, his wife Monika also met the disciplinary committee and said I put forth facts before it... pictures do not get viral on their own and if it is happening, there might be some truth in these... I want justice for myself, my children and the girl as well.
Responding to the statement of his wife, the MLA said "she will say like that as we are getting divorced. I am paying her Rs one lakh per month.
Unlike in the past, Bhagat said he had no contact with the girl, and had filed a complaint with cyber cell of the police in connection with the circulating of his and the girl's morphed pictures on social media. |
