NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday took cognisance of allegations that Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife Gurpreet Kaur sought Rs 5 crore to “suppress” a rape case.The NHRC has directed the Punjab chief secretary and director general of police (DGP) to inquire into the allegations and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two weeks.Commission member Priyank Kanoongo noted the complainant in the matter is a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court.“We have received a complaint from former Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Ranjit Singh alleging that the wife of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann attempted to hush up a rape case in exchange for a bribe of Rs 5 crore. ,” Kanoongo told ANI.Kanoongo further stated that the NHRC had also apprised the ministry of home affairs (MHA) of the allegations.“We will be able to proceed with further investigation only after receiving the report from the Punjab chief secretary and DGP. Officials should exercise the powers granted to them by the Constitution for the welfare of the people. If they act under any kind of political pressure, action can be taken against them,” he added.
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This comes days after the NHRC, on August 19, took cognisance of a complaint concerning the alleged non-observance of Independence Day in government schools across Punjab and sought a detailed report from the Mann-led state government.The complaint raised specific concerns about government schools in rural, remote and border areas, where Independence Day celebrations were allegedly not held. This, the complaint argued, may have deprived students of an opportunity to participate in national celebrations.In this matter, the Punjab chief secretary has been directed to submit a detailed Action Taken/Compliance Report within four weeks. The commission has also sought relevant information from the Ministry of Education and apprised the Union home ministry for appropriate action.The NHRC is seeking to determine whether children in border areas were denied equal opportunities to participate in the observance of the national festival solely because of the geographical location of their schools.