Bharti row: AIIMS felicitates 75 security officials

Country premier health institute, the AIIMS, on Saturday felicitated 75 security and engineering officials by issuing certificates of appreciation for showing outstanding courage and resilience in protecting AIIMS property in the face of grave intimidation by AAP MLA Somnath Bharti. Ther former Delhi minister, Mr Bharti, could not be reached for his comment over the AIIMS felicitation ceremony.

The certificates of appreciation to officials were distributed by the deputy director (administration), V. Srinivas, and faculty incharge (security) V.K. Paul. Certificates of appreciation to its officials were issued for showing courage in way of filing an FIR against AAP legislator Mr Bharti for damaging a fence at the hospital premises and misbehaving with the guards.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Srinivas said that the events of September 9, where attempts were made to encroach and damage government property by an unruly mob armed with an excavator and dumper led by Mr Bharati, were highly condemnable and lacked legal validity. “The unruly mob was adequately responded to by courageous AIIMS security and engineering officials who successfully protected AIIMS property, despite some of them sustaining injuries in performing their duties. They had successfully defended the property against attempts to damage Rs 48 crore worth road works which link the patient care areas of the institute,” added Mr Srinivas. On September 9, AAP MLA Mr Bharti, along with hundreds of supporters, assembled in Gautam Nagar and started breaking the fence and the boundary wall of AIIMS with the help of excavator-cum-loader in order to give access to unauthorised persons inside AIIMS property.

“Mr Bharti was claiming that the road belongs to the general public. They were requested to produce orders of the competent authority which they failed to produce,” AIIMS had said.