Outside BJP’s high-profile event, Minty holds protest all alone

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

As the new state president of the BJP took charge, Harvinder Kaur Minty turned up alone to protest outside the Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall today.

Minty, who had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against former MoS Vijay Sampla’s nephew Ashu Sampla, raised slogans against Vijay Sampla and vented ire against the BJP for not acting against the leader, here, today.

While she had planned to meet new state president Ashwini Sharma to take up the issue, she also had plans to blacken BJP posters at the venue on which Sampla’s photo was appearing. However, the police prevented her from going inside the venue. Apprehending her for a brief period, she was later let off and dropped to her home by police personnel.

Minty, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Sampla since the time when he was the state BJP president, had accused Sampla of failing to act against Ashu and his aides who harassed her. Earlier, Minty had approached Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, after which an FIR was registered.

She had also written to the PMO and approached the Supreme Court over the issue. She had been demanding action against senior police officials as well for an alleged partial investigation in the case. She had been demanding that the culprits in the case be named in the FIR.

She said: “I have met and called several BJP leaders and I demand that Sampla should be removed from the party. Everybody tells me that it is an issue for the party high command. I still want to meet the BJP state president and will also submit a memorandum on the issue to the DC.”

The Jalandhar police had first formed a team in May 2017 to probe Minty’s allegations.