Yet another Aam Aadmi Party MLA, Sharad Chauhan from Narela, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Sunday. With this, the total number of AAP MLAs arrested in criminal cases since February 2015 has gone up to 12.
A court here remanded Mr. Chauhan in judicial custody for one day. His bail application will come up for hearing on Monday, his lawyer Pradeep Rana said.
Mr. Chauhan has been booked for allegedly abetting the suicide of a woman party volunteer who consumed poison earlier this month.
Six others, including Mr. Chauhan’s personal assistant and a Delhi Police Assistant Sub-Inspector, were also arrested.
The AAP blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the arrest.
Ramesh Bharadwaj, a close associate of Mr. Chauhan, had allegedly molested the woman last December and had been threatening her using Mr. Chauhan’s name.
“The MLA and the other accused had helped Bharadwaj in harassing the woman, creating circumstances in which she took the extreme step. He had also been shielding Bharadwaj and guiding Bharadwaj at every step — from diluting the initial complaint to bribing the investigating officer to go slow on the molestation complaint,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav said.
No clarity
While the police claimed to have scientific evidence and even call records of the woman’s conversations with Mr. Bharadwaj, there is no clarity on what happened during those conversations or whether he had intimidated her directly.
Mr. Yadav, however, said that in a video shot just before her death, the woman had named Mr. Chauhan and others as those responsible for her death, and these allegations have also been confirmed by the woman’s daughter in her statement before the magistrate.
Pressure tactics
“He used other tactics to put pressure on her to withdraw the molestation complaint. After the woman failed to get justice at the party forum and even returned empty handed from the Chief Minister’s residence, Mr. Chauhan and his supporters launched a campaign to malign her image and used their clout to get the name of the woman’s daughter removed from the school rolls…,” Mr. Yadav said. “Another AAP MLA arrested. Has Modi gone mad? Has he lost his mental balance? If PM acts with such anger/vengeance then is country safe!,” tweeted AAP spokesperson Ashutosh.
