‘Assault’ on minister: 2 attackers identified
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday said it has identified two persons in connection with last Tuesday’s alleged “mob” assault on Delhi environment minister Imran Hussain and his staff, Rana Markandey Singh alias Himanshu, at the Delhi secretariat. However, the police refused to disclose their identities, saying the probe was still in progress.
A delegation of Aam Aadmi Party leaders led by Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and senior leader Ashutosh met Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik in the afternoon and submitted video footage of the alleged heckling of AAP leaders at the Delhi secretariat. The leaders said the police commissioner promised a fair probe in the matter.
“We submitted the proof. Our two MLAS are in police custody over a statement by the chief secretary (Anshu Prakash). And no action has been taken over the attack on our leaders despite visual proof. We hope the law will take its own course,” said Singh.
Police said the Delhi government had provided them the footage of two CCTV cameras installed in the secretariat on Friday night itself.
Mandeep Singh Randhawa, deputy commissioner of police (central), said, “The digital video recorder that has been provided to us has video recordings of the two cameras of the entire day (last Tuesday). Two persons have been identified so far. We are analysing the footage further to identify other people who manhandled the minister and his staff.”
On Thursday, t he AAP released a video in which it purportedly “identified” Delhi government employees — Amit Khatri from general administration department and Ravinder Parmar, of urban development department along with three others named as Sandeep Suhaag, Saini and Sonu — as the alleged attackers.
Asked if the two persons identified by the Delhi Police are among the five persons the AAP had allegedly named, DCP Randhawa said, “It’s too early to comment as our probe is in the initial stage.”
A police officer familiar with the probe said arrests in the case would be made after the video footage is thoroughly examined and all alleged attackers are identified. “We will send the footage to a forensic lab to establish if it was tampered with,” the officer said.
Police officials said the photographs of the two identified persons, derived from the footage, had been shown to employees and security staff at the secretariat to establish their work profiles and gather details about them.
Environment minister Imran Hussain, in his complaint, had alleged that he was held hostage inside a lift at the secretariat and was stopped from reaching his office by a mob that wanted to “teach a lesson” to AAP ministers and legislators after the alleged attack on Anshu Prakash.
An FIR was registered at the IP Estate police station on the AAP legislator’s complaint on Tuesday, the same day an assault case was registered on the complaint of the chief secretary. AAP legislators Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan, whom Prakash named in his complaint, have been arrested since.