Uproar in HP assembly over arrest of state-run board chairman

The Opposition BJP today created uproar in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly over the arrest of the chairman of a state-run board in a criminal case in Haryana and demanded his removal.
As soon as the House met for the day, BJP members wanted a ruling from the Chair on their notice for Calling Attention Motion on the issue.
They said it was strange that the government has not taken any notice of the arrest of chairman of Himachal Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Hardeep Singh Bawa in a 2003 criminal case.
Bawa, who is also president of state unit of INTUC, the trade union wing of Congress, was arrested in a criminal case under Arms Act by Haryana police on March 26 and is presently lodged in Ambala jail.

Speaker B B L Butial said that he had received their notice and proceeded with the Question Hour.
Later Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh told the House that the government has not received any official information from Haryana Police about the arrest.

"We have asked for a detailed report from the Haryana Police and we will wait and see," Singh said.
"It is an old case, in which two co-accused have been tried and acquitted by the court but Bawa never received any summons and when he received summons recently, he surrendered in a Kalka court on March 26 and was sent to judicial custody," he said.

Bawa has been booked under various sections of the IPC and Arms Act.
Singh said some newspaper reports have mentioned that Bawa enjoys the status of Minister of State which is totally wrong.