Hodgson Pete: General Debate 
Hodgson Pete: General Debate 
[Volume:656;Page:5677] 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Labour—Dunedin North) 
: 
 In April this year a journalist sought a copy of the report into the first investigation into allegations against Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. This request was granted without reference to Minister Coleman and I am told that an official is in trouble for that. The subsequent story printed on 15 May did not add up for me. I therefore began a series of meetings with Baljinder Singh of Tauranga and Mr Darshan Singh Saran usually of the Punjab. I have a sworn document from the latter that tells precisely why the first investigation failed. The reason is that the original complainant Kuldip Singh was silenced. So was Baljinder Singh. They are no longer silent. 
Darshan Singh Saran swears as follows: “In November 2008 my friend Baljinder Singh telephoned me from New Zealand. He told me that Superintendent of Police in Jagwaran Punjab Mr Pritam Singh [was] harassing and threatening Kuldip Singh of his village. Superintendent Pritam Singh had asked Kuldip Singh to come to the Police Station. 
… Kuldip … told me that in 2003 he paid for a job offer for his wife from Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. Payment was made through an agent Mr Darshan Singh Bains. The job offer was not genuine so the residence application was declined. 
Over the next two years Kuldip Singh advised me that Mr Darshan Singh Bains kept promising to return the money … Then suddenly he could not contact [him]. He seemed to have gone underground. 
During this time Kuldip spoke twice with Mr Bakshi and told him about the money he had paid for the job. Mr Bakshi told Kuldip not to worry about the money as he would solve the problem … 
However as time passed and nothing happened Kuldip became annoyed with Mr Bakshi as well. … 
Kuldip then told me that … he spoke with his friend Baljinder Singh by telephone in New Zealand … he … asked Baljinder if he could not get help from them. … 
When Kuldip’s story was published many political people started to contact him. At first they asked very politely to stop what he was saying. When he refused to do that they started to threaten him. … 
In order to help Kuldip Singh I took him to meet Superintendent of Police Pritam Singh at Jagwaran. 
Superintendent Pritam Singh told Kuldip and me that he had had a great deal of pressure from the highest authorities. When we explained Kuldip’s story in depth to him Superintendent Pritam Singh telephoned Mr Rajinder Singh in Chandigarh. … 
Mr Rajinder Singh asked me to ask Kuldip Singh not to speak against Mr Bakshi because he was going to be the first Sikh MP in New Zealand. Mr Rajinder Singh also assured me that he would try to resolve Kuldip’s matter with Mr Bakshi … 
A few days later I received a call from Bhavdeep Singh Dhillon. … He made quite a few calls … Every time he would say that I should ask Kuldip to speak in favour of Mr Bakshi otherwise he should be ready to pay the price. He also threatened to harm Baljinder Singh in New Zealand as we doubted that this was only happening because of Baljinder. … 
After this I was in hospital and a number of people who are politically influential pressurised Kuldip to get his signature on a blank piece of paper. Baljinder Singh in New Zealand also advised me that a few people had threatened him and told him that they were friends of Mr Bakshi. 
I am very worried about what has happened with Kuldip Singh. I want the authorities to go into this case. Those who are willing to come forward need an assurance that nothing will happen to them or against them. They need protection.”