Clear air on govt officials present during Ponty Chadha murder: BJP

Dehradun: The Oppositon BJP on Monday asked the Uttarakhand government to clear the air over alleged presence of two senior officials and some politicians from the state in Delhi during the Chattarpur farmhouse shootout in which liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother were killed. Raising the issue in the Uttarakhand Assembly as soon as it met for the day, the BJP said speculation in this regard was tarnishing the state’s image. [caption id=“attachment_552205” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] Leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt said the arrest of former state Minorities Commission chief Sukhdev Singh Namdhari in connection with the case and allegations about presence of two officials and some politicians from the state in Delhi at the time of the shootout was harming the state’s reputation. Noting that even a Cabinet minister in the state had demanded a probe into the matter, Bhatt said the state government should clarify whether allegations about presence of the two officials and politicians at the time of the incident were true or just a rumour. The BJP leader said if there is truth in the allegations, the state government should disclose the names of officials and politicians. The BJP members calmed down after Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal agreed to permit them to raise the matter in the House later. PTI