Sonali held for assaulting govt official, gets bail
ROHTAK: TikTok star-turned-BJP leader Sonali Phogat was on Wednesday arrested and later granted bail by a court in Hisar 12 days after she thrashed market committee secretary Sultan Singh with a slipper in full public view during a visit to Balsamand grain market.
Hisar superintendent of police Ganga Ram Punia said they have filed chargesheet against six persons, including the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Ashish, Amit, Ravi, Subhash Chand and Sudhir under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 332 (hurting public servant to deter him from duty), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for the June 5 assault on the complaint of Sultan Singh.
As per the order passed by Hisar additional chief judicial magistrate Shifa, Phogat and Sudhir were released after furnishing bonds, while the others were sent to judicial custody. The next hearing in the case will be on July 1.
The 40-year-old BJP leader was caught on camera slapping and thrashing Sultan Singh. The video clip was widely shared on social media. In her complaint to the police, she said the official made indecent remarks against her.
Sultan Singh lodged a countercomplaint against Phogat, denying that he had passed any indecent remark.
Rather, he accused her of beating him up on the pretext that he had opposed her during last year’s assembly elections, which she had lost to Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi from Adampur in Hisar district. Bishnoi is the younger son of former chief minister Bhajan Lal.
KHAP CALLS OFF JUNE 22 AGITATION
One of Haryana’s prominent khaps, Binain Khap, has called off its June 22 strike, its spokesperson Raghubir Nain said.
The khap had given the Manohar Lal-led BJP government a week’s ultimatum to arrest Phogat else it would launch a stir.
Meanwhile, former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said, “The government directed the police to arrest Sonali Phogat under Khap’s tremendous pressure and a later court released her on bail. Her arrest was a political drama and this type of decision lowers the morale of government employees.”
CHARGESHEET FILED AGAINST TIK TOK STARTURNEDBJP LEADER AND FIVE OTHERS