Defiant Buta refuses to resign, says son confessed under duress

NEW DELHI: A defiant Buta Singh on Saturday refused to resign from his post in the wake of the bribery scandal in which his son Sarabjot was arrested by the CBI, claiming that he could have "confessed under pressure".

"Resign? Why should I resign?" Singh shot back at reporters on being asked whether he will step down as Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes after his son was arrested on the charge of demanding a bribe of Rs one crore from a Nashik-based contractor for closing a case against him.

"I am chairperson of a constitutional forum. And I am capable, so why should I resign?" he said.

When told that his son had confessed to taking the bribe amount and said that Buta Singh knew about the transaction, the former minister said, "He (Sarabjot) must have naturally made it (confession) under pressure."