The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
AAP MLA held after woman alleges he ‘threatened her with rape, murder’
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested Sunday from his residence in Batla House for allegedly threatening a woman “party worker” of rape and murder when she approached him to complain about frequent power cuts in the locality. According to the complaint filed by the woman, she claimed to be a former AAP worker.
While an FIR was registered on July 19, Khan was arrested after the woman recorded her statement before a magistrate on July 22. The MLA was produced before a city court which sent him to a day’s police custody.
According to the complaint, the woman said she called Khan on July 10 to tell him about the power cuts.
DCP (southeast) M S Randhawa said, “The woman said she received a very casual response from the MLA and decided to go to his house. When she got there, a man came out of Khan’s house and threatened to rape and burn her alive. She claimed the man said these were Khan’s words.”
A case under sections 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Jamia Nagar police station on July 19.
AAP had rubbished the allegations levelled against the MLA and claimed that police “pressurised” the woman into giving a false statement against Khan.
The party released video footage and a transcript of a conversation purportedly involving the complainant, where she is apparently heard saying that the SHO of Jamia Nagar police station asked her to write a statement against the Okhla MLA.
The woman, however, claimed the “sting” video was being circulated to defame her.
On July 22, in her statement to the magistrate, the woman alleged that Khan and a few of his supporters tried to run her over in New Friends Colony.
She also claimed she was nearly hit by a bike when she was on her way to court the same day. Based on her statement, police have added Section 308 (attempt to culpable homicide) of the IPC to the FIR, said the DCP.
He added that the complainant had approached police several times, as she felt unsafe. “She was very aggrieved that action was not being taken on her complaint,” said Singh.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Khan’s elder brother, Waqifullah, said, “A number of police personnel came to our house. They pointed the CCTV cameras in another direction and picked up my brother as if he was a terrorist.”
Police have also registered a separate FIR against AAP supporters for blocking and damaging public property during their protest against Khan’s arrest.
Aap-centre tussle a ‘Dharamyudh’: CM
After using the India-pakistan analogytodescribethedelhigovernment’s tussle with the Centre, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday called it a “Dharamyudh between the Kauravas and the Pandavas that took place at Kurukshetra”. The remarks came soon after the arrest of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan.
“The Kauravas were powerful. They had their army, they had everything. They (BJP) have police, the IB and the RAW. Pandavas were only five. But they had religion and god on their side. Religion and god are with us because we are walking the path of truth. In the end, the people of Delhi and truth will win.”
He added, “Two of our MLAS have been arrested. I have told them all to speak with their families and be prepared to be sent to jail. You never know, these people (BJP) may even get you killed...this is the Gujarat model.”
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted that the arrest of two AAP MLAS in a day was proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frustration.