NRI
Indo-Canadian MP Darshan Kang Denies Sexual Harassment Charges
Darshan Kang was accused of sexually harassing a female staffer at his northeast Calgary constituency office.
Darshan Kang, the Indo-Canadian Calgary MP from the ruling Liberal Party of Canada, has denied the allegations that he sexually harassed an employee.
“While I cannot comment directly on an open, ongoing investigation, I continue to proclaim my innocence and will defend my reputation at all costs,” Kang said in a statement to the media.
Proclaims Innocence
The 66-year-old politician also said he was placed on medical leave as the allegations caused him a “tremendous amount of stress”.
He said, “As a result of this leave, I have not participated in public events. While I cannot comment directly on an open, ongoing investigation, I continue to proclaim my innocence and will defend my reputation at all costs.”
More than two weeks have passed since Kang got embroiled in the controversy, but he has released a statement regarding it only now. Kang was accused of sexually harassing a female staffer at his northeast Calgary constituency office. The employee filed the complaint in June with Chief Liberal Whip Pablo Rodriguez, reported Ottawa-based newspaper, the Hill Times.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was persistently asked about the issue, had said, “We are allowing that process to undergo in a responsible way. The whip’s office is very much engaged, as it must be in this process, and we are allowing this process to unfold as it should,” Global News reported
Allegations of Trying to Buy Silence
Earlier this week, Kang had allegedly offered $100,000 to the 24-year-old female staffer who filed the complaint against him to stay “quiet”, the father of the staffer said, according to the Star.
The staffer had apparently worked for almost four years in Kang’s office. Her father said Kang was a “good friend” and asked for a public apology and his resignation from office.
Earlier this month, The Hill Times reported that the Chief Government Whip’s Office confirmed that House chief human resources officer Pierre Parent was conducting an investigation into the incident.
Kang was born in India and immigrated to Canada in 1970. Before becoming the first Liberal Party candidate to be elected to the House of Commons from Calgary in nearly 50 years, he was twice elected to the provincial assembly.
