After Amanatullah Khan, another Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti was arrested on Thursday for allegedly assaulting security guards and damaging the property of AIIMS hospital.
The former Delhi’s Law Minister had allegedly incited a crowd to damage AIIMS’ fence and misbehaved with the hospital’s security personnel, charges that Bharti has already denied.
Bharti was arrested by a police team from Malviya Nagar in the afternoon and taken to Hauz Khas Police Station where the case was registered against him on September 11.
Mr. Bharti took to Twitter to announce about his arrest. “I am in Hauz Khas police station under arrest in Gautam Nagar kalah,” he said.
The Delhi Police had registered an FIR following the complaint of AIIMS Chief Security Officer RS Rawat.
Rawat, in his written complaint at Hauz Khas police station, had said that Bharti, around 9.45 am on September 9 “provoked the mob to damage the fence of government property (AIIMS)”.
The complaint read, “MLA Somnath Bharti and around 300 of his supporters assembled in Gautam Nagar near Nallah Road dead-end, and started breaking a fence on the boundary wall with the help of an earth mover to give access to unauthorised persons on AIIMS premises. They claimed that the road belonged to the general public. When our security guards tried to step in, he attacked them.”
Bharti and his supporters were booked under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 186 (obstructing public servant), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
Bharti’s arrest came a day after another AAP legislator Amanatullah Khan was arrested after a sexual harassment complaint by his brother-in-law’s wife.
