Delhi: Former MP’s son booked for brandishing gun at couple outside hotel
Delhi Police have also issued a Look Out Circular against Ashish Pandey, son of a former Bahujan Samaj Party MP and brother of a sitting Uttar Pradesh MLA.
The Delhi Police have filed a case against a man for creating a scare outside a five-star hotel by brandishing a gun during an argument with a couple, the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday. The incident took place last week.
The man was identified as Ashish Pandey, the son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rakesh Pandey, according to The Times of India. His brother Ritesh Pandey is an MLA from Jalalpur in Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. A police team is reportedly on the way to Lucknow to arrest the man.
The police registered the case after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The clip shows a man, reportedly Ashish Pandey, hurling abuses at a couple and brandishing a gun at them reportedly over a parking dispute. The man is joined by a woman, while another woman films the incident from inside a car. The passengers in the car identify the man as Ashish Pandey.
“A complaint from assistant security manager [of] Hyatt Regency Hotel, RK Puram, has been received regarding incident that occurred on the intervening night of October 13-14,” Devender Arya, Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) told the Hindustan Times. “A male is seen brandishing a weapon in the footage. Accordingly a case under Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act has been registered. Efforts are on to identify the person. Legal action is being taken as per law.”
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the police had initiated action in the case. “An FIR has been registered under the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code,” he tweeted. “Strong and appropriate action will be taken. Also verifying the identity of others.”
The Delhi Police have issued a Look Out Circular against Ashish Pandey and alerted their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh, PTI reported. “We are coordinating with the UP Police and teams are looking for him,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Ajay Chaudhary. “We have added the relevant sections based on the video.”
Chaudhary added that there had been negligence on the part of the victim and the hotel authorities as they had failed to file a complaint against the accused on the day of the incident.
Former Congress MLA Kanwar Karan Singh and father of one of the victims said the couple delayed in filing a complaint as they were in a state of trauma, PTI reported. “We have given our version to police and submitted our written statement, Singh said. “My son was numb with fear after he was shown a gun. We do not believe in violence and stay away form indulging in fights. Police have started their investigation and we believe in them.”
In a statement, the hotel administration said it employed several physical security measures and protocols to ensure the safety of its guests. The hotel would fully cooperate with the local police in the investigation, it added. “We take the incident that occurred at Hyatt Regency Delhi seriously and have been working with the local police authorities on the same,” the hotel said.
Criticism against the Centre
The Aam Aadmi Party criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre’s handling of the case. “The BJP-ruled Centre should answer why it has no control over the system it is supervising through the Lieutenant Governor and what steps are being taken by the Delhi Police to check the growing crimes in the city,” Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Dilip Pandey said.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said the incident was “very bad” and that there should be a proper inquiry into the matter.