New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday alleged that several people began hurling casteist abuses at an AAP councillor and physically attacking party workers while they were peacefully heading to the Vikaspuri Police Station on Monday to seek registration of an FIR against PWD Minister Parvesh Verma in a slapping incident.
The AAP has also sought the intervention of the Delhi High Court in the matter.
In a statement, the AAP Delhi Chief stated that the people were caught and handed over to the police, while AAP has video evidence of the entire incident. He questioned why the police allowed such people to enter the gathering and why an FIR was subsequently registered against AAP leaders instead.
He said that the Delhi Police Commissioner should explain why people in plain clothes were planted among protesters and called for the High Court to intervene.
Bharadwaj said, “The Delhi Police has now officially started indulging in ‘goondagardi’. On Monday, when we were going from the gurdwara to Vikaspuri Police Station to get an FIR registered against Parvesh Verma, two or three goons in plain clothes, wearing T-shirts, infiltrated our group. These goons used casteist slurs against one of our MLAs and councillors, hurled abuses and engaged in pushing and manhandling. We caught those goons and handed them over to the police, and thought that the police would take action against them. But today, we are finding out that these goons had actually been planted by the police itself.”
He recalled, “Just as the Delhi Police had kept goons in plain clothes at Jantar Mantar, who had beaten small children with batons, the Delhi Police again released goons among us on Monday and tried to incite caste-based and communal violence and riots. When this attempt to incite riots failed, the police instead registered a case against us. We have videos of every single incident, and we will not let the Delhi Police off the hook, from the High Court to the Supreme Court.”
He stated, “Until now, we believed in ‘bhaichara’ and would let things go when an SHO (Station House Officer) or ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police) requested us to do so. The police tore women’s clothes and also misbehaved with an AAP councillor belonging to the Dalit community, yet we still thought, ‘Let it go.’ But if the police stoop to such cheap politics and commit criminal acts against us, then we too will file reports against them.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted, "Since the police itself will not register a report, we will approach the court. The Delhi Police should not think that it will suppress the AAP through false cases. Many such police officers have come and gone.” (ANI)
"Delhi Police has started indulging in goondagardi": Saurabh Bhardwaj
