Priyanka’s PA booked over Dalit leader’s ‘harassment’
POSTED ON MARCH 11, 2023
Sandeep Singh, the Personal Assistant (PA) of Congress general secretary and UP incharge Priyanka Gandhi, has landed in a soup over allegations of harassment levelled by Dalit leader and Bigg Boss fame Archana Gautam.
In a complaint, Archana Gautam’s father Gautam Budh has alleged that Priyanka Gandhi’s PA Sandeep Kumar issued death threats to his daughter. A complaint under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections 3(1)(d) and 3(1) of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was registered against Singh at the Partapur police station in Meerut.
Surprisingly, Archana had earlier posted several tweets complaining about harassment and also tagged Priyanka Gandhi, but no action was taken at the party level.
During a Facebook live session on February 26, Archana had said she did not understand why the Congress was keeping such people who were gnawing on the party.
“The messages from many workers like me do not reach (Priyanka Gandhi) because of Sandeep Singh,” she alleged.
She later gave a complaint in writing to police, but no case was registered even after several days.
Sandeep Singh was already embroiled in controversy as a majority of veteran leaders held him responsible for the party’s condition in UP and blamed Priyanka for “acting on his suggestions blindly.”
Demands were made on several occasions to remove both Sandeep and Priyanka to save the party in UP where it is already reduced to just a single MP (Sonia Gandhi), besides two MLAs.
In his complaint, Archana Gautam’s father alleged that she was subjected to death threats and casteist slurs by Sandeep Kumar. The information regarding the complaint was given by Archana on social media. Gautam stated in the complaint that his daughter went to Raipur in Chhattisgarh on February 26 to attend the Congress convention at the invitation of Priyanka Gandhi.
Gautam alleged that when Archana asked Priyanka’s PA to arrange a meeting with her, he refused and allegedly used casteist slurs. Meerut Superintendent of Police Piyush Singh said that a case had been registered against Sandeep Kumar and further investigation was on.
“Since the incident took place in Chhattisgarh, the case will be transferred there for further action,” the SP said.
Archana Gautam had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on a Congress ticket from Meerut’s Hastinapur constituency.
Courtesy : The Pioneer
Note: This news piece was originally published in thepioneer.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights.
