AAP men assault building dept official

OFFICIALS SAID A HAUZ KHAS VILLAGE PROPERTY HAD BEEN SEALED ON SATURDAY AND THE ATTACK CAME AS ITS BACKLASH

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters on Monday allegedly manhandled a south corporation building department official in Green Park on Monday.

The supporters were staging a protest at South zone’s deputy commissioner’s (DC) office against corruption in municipal agencies. An FIR has been registered in this regard at the Hauz Khas police station.

However, AAP leader Somnath Bharti, who later joined the protest, said no people from the party were involved in the assault.

But Ashok Kumar, the executive engineer, claimed that the attackers were wearing the trademark AAP caps. “I was entering office when they began manhandling me for no apparent reason,” the official said.

According to officials, a Hauz Khas village property had been sealed on Saturday and the attack came as its backlash. The houseowner, Mahavir Singh, was spotted at the protest and claimed that it was he who had been attacked. “I approached the engineer and asked him to remove the seal. He pushed me so I pushed him back,” he said.

Bharti said the incident happened before the protest even began. “It happened before we came here. We don’t fight or assault people in our protests,” he said.

The former Delhi law minister and a small contingent of AAP supporters later met the South zone DC and submitted his demands.

“MCD should do a survey of all properties belonging to the leaders of all political parties, beginning from the prime minister, Union ministers till councillors. It should then draw a list of properties which violate building bylaws. Action should be taken against them first before targeting the common man,” Bharti said, adding that people are fed up of the building department of the civic body.

“There is a nexus between local councillors, junior engineers, assistant engineers and area SHOs. They will allow construction to begin. Then they come and ask for money or they threaten to demolish it,” the AAP leader said, demanding the resignation of such councillors and a thorough investigation against all guilty of disproportionate wealth.

“Till these demands are not met, no more demolition drives should be carried out. Don’t let illegal construction to begin but don’t carry out demolition drives,” Bharti said.