MeToo Allegation Against Punjab Minister Charanjit Singh Channi Resurfaces 

Punjab's technical education minister Charanjit Singh Channi is now under scrutiny as an #MeToo case against him has resurfaced.

This happened after the Punjab Women's Commission sent a complaint to the state government, regarding a 3-year-old case. The Commission is seeking a response to its complaint within a week.

In October 2018, Charanjit Singh Channi had allegedly sent an inappropriate text to a woman IAS officer. The woman never lodged a complaint against him, and Punjab's chief minister Amarinder Singh had claimed that the matter was 'resolved' at that time. He also said that Channi had issued an apology to the woman and that the matter had been sorted out.

Charanjit Singh Channi had also claimed that he had accidentally sent the inappropriate message to the IAS officer.

Manisha Gulati, the chairperson of the commission said that if the government didn't respond within the stipulated time, she and her entire team will go on fast. She also said that they will go on a sit-in protest at the Matka Chowk in Chandigarh from 12pm from next Monday onwards.

Gulati said that she wants to ensure that the woman gets justice and that many IAS officers are pressuring her to take action on the issue. "When the State Chief Secretary is a woman, a national party president is a woman then how come a woman IAS officer can't get justice?" she said.

Manisha Gulati then added that the commission had never received a written complaint from the woman who had allegedly faced harassment. The commission decided to take suo moto notice of the case from the 2018 media reports. Additionally, they had also waited for a reply from the then chief secretary of Punjab, Karan Avtar Singh. Gulati is however expecting a better response as the current chief secretary is a female officer, she said.

Punjab Women's Commission latest complaint is a reminder to the state government after it failed to submit a response at that time.