Chhotepur complainant was convicted in Australia

Jalandhar: Ravinder Kang, who came into focus after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann identified him as the NRI who accused Sucha Singh Chhotepur of taking money for party tickets, had hit newspapaer headlines in Australia in 2011, but for all the wrong reasons.

A Brisbane court ordered Kang to perform 125 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty of causing bodily harm to a 19-year-old woman. The woman had fallen out of Kang's moving taxi along West Avenue, Wynnum, because he had not stopped to let her get out of the car. He had not even stopped after she fell down.

The case had triggered a debate on the English-speaking skills of taxi drivers in Australia and the judge, who decided Kang's case, also commented on it. Judge Milton Griffin had held that Kang's behaviour was "offensive, unsafe, negligent", and also questioned how he had secured the job of a taxi driver with poor English skills, reported 'brisbanetimes.com.au' in May 2011. The incident had taken place in 2010.

"Kang had asked the woman and her two friends to pay upfront, but they refused. When they got to Wynnum, one felt sick and asked him to stop the cab. As she was sick, one of her friends hopped out to assist, leaving the 19-year-old in the cab. When the 19-year-old undid her seatbelt, Kang drove off, ignoring a red light. He stopped and held her arm, then drove forward again. Kang let go of the woman while the taxi was travelling at a speed of between 20-40km/h and she fell out of the cab," the news portal further reported on the court proceedings.

"Her mother collected her from the roadside and took her to hospital, where 13 staples were applied to her head. She also had abrasion," it reported further.

The 'Courier Mail' reported that judge Griffin said there was an "element of callousness" in how Kang did not stop to check the girl after she exited the cab. "The court was told that Kang could speak little English, and even required an interpreter in court, and that his lack of it resulted in a serious misunderstanding - resulting in the girl's injuries," the report said.

Kang did not answer phone calls or responded to queries through SMS and WhatsApp.

He hails from Hardasa village in Ferozepur district and is an AAP ticket aspirant from Ferozepur. The pictures on his Facebook account reveal that he even met AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and posted photos with him. Kang also addressed a rally at Zira on August 25; it was attended by AAP MPs Mann and Prof Sadhu Singh. On his FB wall, Kang has also posted pictures of his publicity material and also of buses he had taken to a rally apparently as a ticket aspirant from Zira.