Delhi Police issue showcause notice to hotel for not reporting incident involving former MP’s son
The police gave Hyatt Regency 15 days to explain why its licence should not be cancelled for not informing the authorities.
The Delhi Police on Tuesday issued a showcause notice to a five-star hotel in Delhi, where the son of a former Bahujan Samaj Party MP was seen brandishing a gun during an argument with a couple, ANI reported. The police gave Hyatt Regency 15 days to explain why the hotel did not inform authorities on October 14, the day of the incident.
The hotel has also been asked to explain why its lodging licence should not be cancelled. Additional Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Prabhakar sent the notice to Executive Director (Administration and Corporate Coordination) of Asian Hotels (North) Limited Anita Thapar. The company has the licence to run Hyatt Regency in Delhi.
Earlier on Tuesday, the police had registered a case under various sections of the Arms Act against accused Ashish Pandey after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The clip shows a man, reportedly Pandey, hurling abuses at a couple and brandishing a gun at them 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.
Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Ajay Chaudhary said 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.
“You failed to provide information in time to the police authorities regarding this incident,” said the show-cause notice. “Whereas a complaint was lodged by you only after police authorities took suo motu cognisance of the video which was circulating on social media.”
The police accused the hotel authorities of a “serious lapse”. “You have not only withheld information relating to a cognisable offence but also have in a way assisted the escape of the accused person,” said the notice.
In a statement, the hotel administration said it employed several physical security measures and protocol to ensure the safety of its guests. The hotel said it would fully cooperate with the local police in the investigation. “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.
Pandey is 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.