A senior Delhi Police officer was taken off poll duty by the Election Commission on Wednesday, a day after he told reporters that a gunman who had fired shots in the city’s Shaheen Bagh locality on February 1 was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo had told reporters that photographs recovered from Kapil Gujjar’s phone established that he had joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led party a year ago along with his father.

In a letter to the city police commissioner, the poll body said Deo had been also issued a warning for making comments about an investigation with “political connotations”. The Election Commission pointed out that the officer’s statements were “totally uncalled for” and had “consequences for the holding of free and fair elections”. The commission sought a compliance report by 6 pm on Thursday.

After Deo’s comments to the media, the Aam Aadmi Party had questioned the police investigation. The party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the officer of acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and said he should pin the lotus – the BJP’s symbol – on his shirt. The saffron party, meanwhile, claimed that the AAP had been exposed.

Assembly elections in the national capital will be held on February 8, and the results will be declared on February 11.