Delhi Police Not Acting On Minister’s Assault Complaint: AAP

NEW DELHI (PTI) — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders on Thursday accused the Delhi Police of acting in a partisan manner and taking no action in the case of an alleged attack on minister Imran Hussain at the Secretariat.

Senior party leader Ashutosh said the police acted swifty and arrested two AAP MLAs today in the alleged assault case of Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, but failed to do anything about the case filed by the AAP minister, despite the CCTV footage clearly showing that he was mobbed and assaulted by government officials and staff at the Secretariat.

Hussain has approached the court, seeking preservation of the CCTV footage showing the incident when he was allegedly mobbed and assaulted by the officials.

Reading out excerpts of the court order at a press conference, Ashutosh said the judge had observed that the CCTV footage prima facie showed that the minister was surrounded by a “herd of people and thereafter, criminal force was used against him as well as his staff”.

“Prima facie, I found merits in the contentions made by the counsel for the applicant (Hussain) as the contents of the FIR show that the minister was going to his office when the alleged incident of criminal restrain, use of criminal force, causing hurt and damaging the belongings took place.

“The CCTV footage shown in the court also clarifies the same,” the AAP leader quoted the judge as saying and added, “But the Delhi Police is yet to seize the CCTV footage and examine the witnesses, which shows a conspiracy to destabilise the Delhi government.” 

The footage was played at the press meet. The AAP leaders also alleged that the chief secretary had assured Hussain’s attackers of protection. Despite attempts, Prakash was not available for comments.

“The Delhi Police and the chief secretary are hand in glove and they are acting at the behest of the BJP to destabilise the Delhi government,” Ashutosh alleged.

A court here on Thursday asked the police to assess the threat perception and provide necessary security, if required, to Environment Minister Hussain.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to take necessary action after viewing the CCTV footage of the incident.

Hussain has lodged a police complaint, claiming that a day after the alleged assault on the chief secretary, he was mobbed by the officials and staff of the Delhi government, who raised slogans and prevented him from taking the elevator to his sixth-floor office at the Secretariat.

The minister has also alleged that he was restrained from going to his office and that his mobile phone was snatched during the incident.