2nd MLA held over chief secy ‘assault’
Home ministry will look into three aspects of the incident, say officials
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan was taken into custody on Wednesday and police said medical examination indicated that Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash had suffered injuries, a day after an alleged “assault” by the state’s lawmakers on Delhi’s top bureaucrat plunged the national Capital into an administrative crisis.
Okhla MLA Khan surrendered at the Jamia Nagar police station, hours after his colleague Prakash Jarwal was placed under arrest over a complaint by the chief secretary that the two had physically assaulted him during a midnight meeting at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Monday night.
The AAP has denied the charges and said that there was a heated argument, but no assault. Prakash’s medical examination, conducted at Arun Asaf Ali hospital, indicated swellings and bruises on his face, which police are treating as “crucial evidence”, according to an officer who asked not to be named.
The police are recording statements of all those present in the meeting at Kejriwal’s residence. They began on Wednesday by questioning Kejriwal’s advisor VK Jain who had allegedly called Prakash for the meeting, according to the officer quoted above.
Officials in the Delhi government are not interacting with legislators directly since Tuesday and said they will continue their protest. “The trust between legislators and bureaucrats was breached on Monday night. We will continue to work only through written channels till the time the trust is regained,” said Manisha Saxena, general secretary of the IAS officers’ association after a meeting of bureaucrat collectives.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also began examining the case after Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal submitted a report. A ministry official, who asked not to be named, said the incident is being examined on three aspects – criminal, administrative and political.
The administrative and political part will be probed by the MHA, while the criminal aspect will be investigated by the Delhi police. The chief secretary, after being absent for a day, came to work at the secretariat and also attended a scheduled meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on ease of doing business. Prakash, along with two other IAS officers, however, skipped the proceedings of Delhi Assembly’s Questions and Reference Committee on an alleged scam in one of Delhi government’s cooperative banks. Members of the committee recommended that three bureaucrats be charged by the privileges committee for “boycotting” the proceedings.
THE OFFICER’S MEDICAL INDICATED SWELLINGS AND BRUISES ON HIS FACE, WHICH POLICE ARE TREATING AS “CRUCIAL EVIDENCE”
NEW DELHI: The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Wednesday began examining an official report sent by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on the alleged assault of chief secretary Anshu Prakash. The report was sent by the L-G on Wednesday afternoon and was received by the office of home secretary Rajiv Gauba.
A senior home ministry official said the report sent by the L-G’s office consists of three aspects of the incident which includes criminal, administrative and political. While the criminal aspects are being investigated by the Delhi police, the other two will be examined by the MHA.
The official further said the entire incident consisted of four sets of allegations starting with chief secretary’s statement that he was assaulted by the AAP MLAs.
“The next allegation was levelled by the AAP MLAs who claimed that the chief secretary made derogatory remarks against them which violate the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Third allegation is of administrative nature which means we will have to look into working relations between bureaucrats and the political executive of the Delhi government. Finally the political aspect of the report deals with the allegations made by political parties in the matter. This aspect will also be examined by the ministry to determine facts of the case,” said the senior home ministry official.
The official added that the criminal aspect of the case will require the police to investigate the alleged assault of Prakash as well as the claims made by AAP MLAs. Similarly the administrative aspect will require examination of claims made by both parties with regards to administrative work.
While the bureaucrats claimed that chief secretary Anshu Prakash was called by Kejriwal regarding the issue of advertisements, which were not being released, the AAP has maintained that the senior official had been called for a discussion on ration distribution.
The development comes a day after a delegation comprising the associations of Indian Administrative Services and Delhi Andaman Nicobar services (DANICS) and Delhi Subordinate Services of Delhi government met Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The delegation condemned the incident and added that the alleged assault took place in presence and with the consent of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
Rajnath Singh had on Tuesday issued a statement in support of the bureaucrats stating that he was deeply pained by the happenings involving the chief secretary of the Delhi government.
“Justice will be done,” Singh wrote in a tweet.” The civil servants should be allowed to work with dignity and without fear,” read another tweet by the minister.