MLAs targeted for being dalit, Muslim: AAP

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday cried foul over the arrest of two of its MLAs for allegedly attacking Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash, and claimed the two were being targeted as they belong to the dalit and minority communities. Rejecting the charges of assault on the chief secretary, AAP leader Ashutosh said the top bureaucrat has not produced evidence against Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan, and yet the two legislators were arrested.

An attempt is being made to “malign” the party’s image, he claimed. Mr Khan was arrested around noon on Wednesday, while Jarwal was arrested late on Tuesday night for allegedly attacking Prakash at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence during an official meeting on Monday night. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and a few other AAP legislators were also present at the meeting.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the Delhi police is yet to take action in another case of assault on food and civil supplies minister Imran Hussain and Delhi Dialogue Commission’s vice-chairman Ashish Khetan at Delhi Secretariat, despite their providing a video evidence of the attack.

Mr Hussain and Mr Khetan have claimed they were attacked at Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday and have filed separate complaints with the police. “Eleven MLAs were present at the meeting at the chief minister’s residence and yet only Prakash Jarwal, a Dalit MLA, and Amantullah Khan were arrested. Why?” Ashutosh questioned. Mr Jarwal and another AAP MLA Ajay Dutt on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Delhi police and National Commission for Scheduled Castes against the chief secretary for using derogatory and casteist remarks. When asked whether the party was seeking to play a minority card, Mr Singh dismissed the charge, but said dalits were being targeted in the BJP-ruled states.

“Dalits were flogged in Una, a Dalit man was killed for sporting a moustache. There is a case of Pehlu Khan, killed by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan in 2017,” Mr Singh said.

In 2016, dalits were flogged in Una, leading to a statewide stir in Gujarat. In October last year, a 17-year-old Dalit boy was killed for allegedly sporting a moustache in Gujarat, a state ruled by the BJP.