Virbhadra attacks BJP leader Dhumal, son over HPCA case

New Delhi: Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday demanded that BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal and his son and Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur abstain from holding any public office till they are cleared of charges in the case of land allotment to Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association.
A trial court in Dharamshala on Saturday issued summons to former chief minister Dhumal, his two sons and others to appear in person before it on October 27 in a case pertaining to allotment of land on lease to Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).
Eighteen people were charged on April 25 for alleged wrongdoing in allotment of land to HPCA, headed by Anurag Thakur, for constructing a plush residential complex for players near its stadium in Dharamsala. Talking to media, Singh said that Dhumal and his son Anurag should not holdany public office till the court acquits them in this case.
He said that the investigation related to the land allotment by the state government to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association has been carried out on the basis of charge sheet submitted by the State Congress Committee to the President of India in 2012.
Singh also slammed Thakur, head of HPCA, for allegedly grabbing government property worth crores of rupess under the garb of HPCA and “playing with the sentiments” of the budding players of the state and allowing outsiders to become the member of state cricket board.
The state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed a case in August 2013 against the HPCA functionaries under sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988. Singh said that investigating these irregularities was a promise Congress has fulfilled after coming to power.