2 MLAs sent to judicial custody as political slugfest continues

New Delhi: Two AAP MLAs were on Wednesday arrested and sent to judicial custody in connection with an alleged assault on Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash as the row between legislators and bureaucrats in the city triggered a political slugfest, with parties levelling sharp charges against one other.

Amanatullah Khan was arrested earlier in the day after he appeared at the Jamia Nagar police station. Deoli legislator Prakash Jarwal, who was detained on Tuesday  night, was also arrested,  a police official said. They were later sent to judicial custody.

The Delhi police also picked up the adviser to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday morning from his residence at Maharani Bagh in connection with the case. V.K. Jain, a retired IAS officer, was detained for questioning by the Delhi police at 7 am from his residence and taken to Civil Lines police station. He was released later in the morning.

However, in a major set-back to the Delhi police, a city court on Wednesday dismissed its plea for custodial interrogation of MLAs Amantullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal.

The court on Wednesday sent the two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs to judicial custody for a day when their bail plea will be taken up after a police plea for two-day custodial interrogation was rejected.

Metropolitan magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon refused the Delhi police plea and posted the hearing of their bail petition of the two MLAs.

The details of the reasons for denying the police custody of the two legislators were not immediately available. The two MLAs were produced before the court amid tight security, in the presence of a large number of AAP workers. Metropolitan Magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon rejected the plea of the police saying the two legislators were ready to cooperate and join the investigation. In its order, the court recorded the submission of the defence counsel that medical examination (MLC) was conducted on Prakash after the lodging of the FIR and nothing was to be recovered from the MLAs. It also noted that the MLAs were ready to cooperate and join investigation whenever required.

During the hearing, public prosecutor Atul Srivastava sought two days police custody of both the MLAs saying they had committed a serious crime of assaulting and humiliating the senior-most officer of the state. Due to this, the officer has sustained serious injuries and the medical examination report has also been submitted in this regard, he said.

He said a total of 11 persons were involved in the incident and the two MLAs have to be confronted with other accused to unearth the larger conspiracy. The role of the other accused who are yet to be arrested, also needed to be ascertained, the prosecutor said.

Mr Srivastava claimed that Anshu Prakash was intimidated by the accused and none of the MLAs present there came forward to save him. Advocate B.S. Joon, appearing for both the MLAs, opposed the application for police custody and said they were ready to cooperate in the probe.

Both of them are public representatives and not hardened criminals, Mr Joon said, adding the incident is a “fallout of power struggle between the Centre and the NCT of Delhi.” He further submitted that as per the footage of the CCTV installed at the chief minister’s house, the chief secretary’s vehicle entered and exited within seven minutes and eight seconds.

In his complaint, Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that the attack was a conspiracy.

He said he was sitting on a sofa flanked by Khan and another AAP MLA during the February 19 night meeting, and without provocation, the two legislators “started hitting and assaulting” him “with blows on head and temple”. The ruling AAP has denied the allegations.

A case has been registered at Civil Lines Police Station in north Delhi on the complaint filed by the chief secretary.

Meanwhile Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash has sustained injuries on the face as per a medical report which has now been handed over to the Delhi Police prepared after examination of the patient according to doctors at Aruna Asaf Ali Government Hospital.

Delhi’s top bureaucrat had gone to the hospital at 9 p.m. on February 20 with complaint of “painful neck movement, pain behind both ears and pain behind the right eye.” His medical record shows that doctors found “tenderness and mild swelling behind both ears, bruise over lower lip (right side). No other form of injury was detected. The injury is simple.” Mr. Prakash has been given pain killers and other medicines as per doctor’s order.