Hooda washes his hands of Kanda

Stating that he was a “law abiding citizen”, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Friday said Gopal Goyal Kanda was not part of his government any more and should join Delhi Police investigations into the suicide of former flight attendant Geetika Sharma.

Virtually washing his hands of Kanda, Hooda was evasive about his former minister of state for home, who has gone into hiding after Geetika named him in her suicide note. She committed suicide Aug 5. Kanda has been booked for abetment to suicide.

Saying that Kanda, who has been booked for abetment to suicide, should join the investigations, Hooda said: “I am a law abiding man and every individual should cooperate in the investigation process. He is no longer part of my government.”

Hooda said that Kanda was his minister but has now resigned.

“Delhi Police are investigating the case and law would take its own course,” Hooda told reporters.

Geetika, 23, a former flight attendant of Kanda’s now defunct MDLR Airlines, committed suicide at her home in New Delhi and had blamed Kanda and Aruna Chadha, a top executive of the MDLR Airline, for driving her to suicide.

Kanda, who was minister of state for home and urban local bodies in the Hooda government, was forced to resign Sunday after the controversy.

Kanda has been in hiding after he was summoned by Delhi Police to join investigations in the suicide case.

Chadha, a manager with the MDLR group, has already been arrested along with another employee, Mandeep Singh.

Kanda, a billionaire politician and independent legislator, was last seen at his Gurgaon residence Tuesday. He had been giving TV interviews but was not questioned or arrested by Delhi Police given his powerful status.

Kanda was inducted as a minister in the Hooda government October 2009 after the Congress Party led by Hooda failed to get a simple majority in the Haryana assembly polls. Hooda had to depend on the support of seven independent legislators, including Kanda, to form the government again.