FIR Filed Against AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj, Jarnail Singh For Obstructing Delhi Cop
An FIR has been registered against AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Jarnail Singh over the alleged assault of a Delhi Police head constable.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, September 29: An FIR has been registered against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Jarnail Singh and several party workers for allegedly assaulting a Delhi Police head constable and obstructing him from discharging his duties, police sources said on Tuesday.
The incident allegedly took place on Monday when the AAP leaders accompanied former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during his visit to the Tilak Nagar area, the sources said.
The head constable, who was in plain clothes, was allegedly recording videos in the area when a group of AAP supporters surrounded and assaulted him, according to police sources. He was subsequently taken for a medical examination.
Police said the case was registered under provisions relating to obstructing a public servant from discharging his duties and assaulting a government employee. The FIR names Bharadwaj and Jarnail Singh along with several AAP workers.
FIR Follows Alleged Assault On Police Head Constable
The FIR comes amid heightened political tensions in Tilak Nagar following a separate alleged slapping incident involving Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma during a road inspection on September 27.
A video circulated on social media appeared to show Verma slapping Saheb Singh, an associate of AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, during the inspection of a newly laid road. Singh had said he was recording the proceedings when the incident occurred.
Delhi Police subsequently registered a non-cognisable report (NCR) against Verma under Section 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to voluntarily causing hurt, based on Singh's complaint.
AAP Protests Against Verma, Demands FIR
Bharadwaj and other AAP leaders had protested against Verma and demanded registration of an FIR against him. Bharadwaj was detained by Delhi Police during a protest in Tilak Nagar on September 27.
In a post on social media, Bharadwaj said AAP workers had gone to the police headquarters to seek an FIR against Verma but alleged that Delhi Police had detained party workers instead.
“Today, we went to the police headquarters with our comrades to file an FIR against the ‘slap-happy’ minister Parvesh Verma. But today, for the third consecutive day, the Delhi Police took all our comrades into custody,” he said.
In another post, Bharadwaj said the issue was not limited to the alleged slapping incident but concerned what he described as a new political culture involving the intimidation of citizens.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi also criticised the alleged incident involving Verma, saying that political lineage did not give an elected representative the right to treat citizens with contempt or raise a hand when questioned about public works.
“Public office is a responsibility, not a family inheritance,” Singhvi said.
(With PTI Inputs)
