In Himachal Pradesh, Sujanpur SDM Vikas Shukla refutes sexual assault allegations

Kullu: Kullu former sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vikas Shukla, who is now posted in Hamirpur district's Sujanpur, on Friday refuted allegations of sexual assault levelled against him by a woman.In a video on social media, Shukla, an HAS officer, claimed that he was ready to cooperate with any inquiry as the allegations were baseless. He said that during a previous investigation, all claims made by the woman were found to be false. Last week, state govt ordered an inquiry against Shukla on directions from the high court.In a complaint to the Kullu superintendent of police last year, a woman alleged that Shukla called her to his residence and sexually assaulted her. The woman alleged that she was subjected to harassment and threatened. However, Kullu police did not register any case at that time, and recently an advocate filed a petition in the high court.According to Shukla, the woman levelled similar allegations against other men, and this fact should also be investigated.He said in the video that during his posting in Kullu, the woman used to come to him for favours and began calling him repeatedly. "When I refused to entertain her, she started making all sorts of allegations, which are not true," alleged Shukla. Allegations against Shukla come at a time when Una SDM Vishwa Mohan Dev Chauhan is on the run after police booked him on charges of rape on Sept 24 following a complaint made by a national-level woman athlete.