Delhi: Police file FIR against BJP chief Manoj Tiwari for breaking the lock of a sealed house
On Sunday, Manoj Tiwari broke the lock of a house closed by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation to protest against corruption and ‘selective sealing’.
The Delhi Police on Tuesday filed a First Information Report against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoj Tiwari for breaking the lock of a house sealed by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation in an unauthorised colony in Delhi, reported ANI. The complaint was registered under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.
The complaint was filed at the Gokulpur police station on the basis of an investigation report submitted by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, reported The Times of India.
On Sunday, Tiwari, who is the BJP’s president in Delhi, broke the sealed lock of a house in Gokulpur village. He asked why authorities had sealed only one house in the lane, and accused them of sealing properties according to their “whims and fancies”.
“This is corruption,” said Tiwari. “This should stop.”
However, a senior official involved with the investigation said the EDMC’s veterinary department had sealed the house as it used to run an illegal dairy. He confirmed that the action was not carried out by the monitoring committee of the Supreme Court, which ruled in July that the sealing and demolition of unauthorised constructions in Delhi will continue.
“Nevertheless, breaking a seal is an unlawful act,” said the official. “The department lodged a complaint attaching all the press reports and videos.”
A copy of the report was submitted to the monitoring committee as well. The official said that the person breaking the seal is held responsible, along with the building’s owner. “From our point of view, both the owner as well as the person breaking seal should be held responsible,” he said. “It is also the duty of the house owner to protect the seal.”
Tiwari on Tuesday challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to visit unauthorised colonies and answer to the public, reported ANI. “If sealing is done in an illegal way, we will oppose and protest against it,” said Tiwari. “We will also file an FIR.”
Earlier, KJ Rao, a member of the monitoring committee, said he would inform the Supreme Court of the incident, reported the Hindustan Times. “If it [the incident] has happened, it is clearly a contempt of court, which mandates three months’ imprisonment,” said Rao.