Calls it vendetta; Congress decries allegation as false
Munish Sood
MANDI:
The arrest of Ram Kumar Bindal, elder brother of Himachal Pradesh BJP president Dr Rajeev Kumar Bindal, on r*ape charges has sparked a fierce political storm in the state. While the police say they acted on a formal complaint filed by a 25-year-old woman in Solan, BJP leaders have now accused the government of selective justice and political vendetta.
According to the BJP, two recent alleged s*exual assault cases involving SDMs Vishwa Mohan Dev and Vikas Shukla saw no comparable action, even though the allegations were of similar nature.
“In those cases, the accused officers continued in service without arrest or suspension, but in Ram Kumar’s case, the police acted within 72 hours. This shows clear political bias,” said BJP district vice-president Sanjay Sharma during a media interaction in Solan.
Allegations against Ram Kumar Bindal
Ram Kumar Bindal, 81, is a known Ayurvedic practitioner in Solan town. A 25-year-old woman has alleged that he molested her on the pretext of medical examination at his clinic earlier this month. The Solan police registered the case under relevant sections of the IPC and arrested him within three days of the FIR being filed.
Bindal was produced before a local court, which remanded him to five days of police custody. The case has since drawn national media attention due to the Bindal family’s political prominence.
BJP leaders across Himachal have termed the arrest politically motivated. They alleged that the Congress-led state government was using law enforcement to tarnish the image of the Bindal family and divert public attention from administrative failures.
“This is a clear attempt to defame a family that has dedicated eight decades to public service,” BJP leader Daisy Thakur said, adding that such action within three days “reeked of political pressure”.
Local BJP leaders have even submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the Solan Deputy Commissioner, demanding an impartial and high-level probe. They argued that an 81-year-old man with a lifelong record of community service “could not have committed such a crime” and might be a victim of conspiracy.
Congress and Mahila Congress leaders, however, have dismissed the BJP’s charges, asserting that the police acted “strictly according to law”. They argued that the Bindal family’s political status should not shield anyone from criminal accountability. “The BJP wants sympathy politics. Let the investigation reveal the truth. No one is above the law,” they said.
