Minister blunts investigation

Ramanlal Vora hasn’t yet ordered full-fledged inquiry into sex racket

AHMEDABAD: Ramanlal Vora is a worried man. Immediately after taking over, the education minister not only faces his first big crisis in the Patan rape case, but is having to firefight on behalf of former education minister Anandiben Patel too.

Despite immense pressure, the minister has not ordered a full-fledged inquiry to investigate if women were being sexually exploited in other government institutes too and if more students of PTC college were victims of sexual abuse.

The main reason, according to sources, is that such an inquiry could embarrass Patel more than Vora, as she was the education minister when the sordid sex scandal went on in Patan PTC college.

As Patel is close to chief minister Narendra Modi, sources said, Vora is refusing to even pass the buck on her. Soon after the scandal came to light, Vora met parents of all the students of Patan PTC college to pacify and assure them that they would be provided enough security at the campus, lest they disclose more information on the sex scandal and embarrass the government further. Vora is refusing to acknowledge even the possibility of more cases of sexual abuse at Patan PTC college.

The minister, in fact, said that if the issue simmered it would hamper studies of students of the college. “The students have all agreed to go back to the college. I have personally met their parents and assured them that they will be safe. So why rake up the controversy again?” he said.

p_tina@dnaindia.net