AAP claims mob thrashed party leaders at Delhi secretariat, minister files police complaint
Imran Hussain and Ashish Khetan was allegedly attacked by a group of 150 people.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said Delhi minister Imran Hussain had filed a complaint with the police after he was heckled and thrashed in the state secretariat. The party’s accusation came after Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash claimed that two AAP MLAs manhandled him at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office.
FIRs about the alleged assault on the chief secretary and the purported attack on AAP leaders have been registered, Delhi Police Spokesperson Deependra Pathak said.
Another complaint has been filed by a Delhi Minister where he has said that he was assaulted while he was taking the lift in Delhi Secretariat. We have registered case, investigation initiated: Deependra Pathak,Delhi Police Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/gEsndnozXf
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2018
Alleged assault of #Delhi Chief Secy Anshu Prakash matter: All three associations- IAS, DANICS and DASS members have decided not to attend any meeting called by Delhi Govt till apology is tendered from CM Kejriwal and action is taken against the MLAs involved
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2018
Minister @ImranHussaain Files complaint with Delhi Police over being heckled, thrashed at the Delhi Secretariat. pic.twitter.com/tNZsXp2OiM
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 20, 2018
#WATCH Earlier visuals of the scuffle which broke out at Delhi Secretariat between AAP Minister Imran Hussain's PS Himanshu Singh and unidentified persons pic.twitter.com/cJhnMHypQx
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2018
AAP leader Ashish Khetan claimed that the mob had first attacked him and then Hussain. At a party press conference in New Delhi, Khetan said that 150 men had surrounded him on the second floor of the secretariat, heckled him and shouted pro-Bharatiya Janata Party slogans.
Khetan claimed that the Delhi Police did not take any action against the mob, and that there was CCTV footage to prove his allegations. “It was a riot-like situation,” he said, according to ANI. “Can you imagine this happening with ministers of other states in their state government’s secretariat?”
The Home Ministry has sought a report from Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on the alleged assault on Prakash. The Delhi chief secretary met Home Minister Rajnath Singh around 3 pm.
Khetan said that Home Minister Rajnath Singh had already decided who was guilty before conducting an investigation. He claimed he had received a call from Singh’s office saying that the home minister could not meet him as he was busy. AAP spokesperson Atishi Marlena said that Singh’s office told Hussain that the home minister would meet him only on February 23.
देश के गृह मंत्री ने अपने ट्वीट में ही फैसला कर लिया की कौन दोषी है, पहले उन्हें निस्पक्ष जाँच करनी चाहिए थी,
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 20, 2018
उन्होंने सिर्फ एक पक्ष सुनकर फैसला सुना दिया है - @AashishKhetan pic.twitter.com/T5zOtU08UD
I just received a call from Hon'ble HM @rajnathsingh ji's office. I have been told that HM is very busy and he wont be able to meet me.
— Ashish Khetan (@AashishKhetan) February 20, 2018
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal, one of the legislators against whom Anshu Prakash has levelled allegations of assault, said that he had filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes against the “casteist” remarks made by the Delhi chief secretary.
“We had asked him about an area where people were not getting basic facilities like medicine,” Jarwal said. “The chief secretary suddenly shouted that he was not responsible for the problems Dalits face.” Jarwal also claimed that Prakash told him he was not fit to be an MLA.