Bharti in yet another controversy, this time for assaulting MCD official

New Delhi: Former Delhi Law minister and AAP leader Somnath Bharti was linked to a fresh controversy on Monday after allegations that some AAP workers thrashed an MCD official near the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office of South zone in Green Park.

According to the police, the victim was identified as Ashok Kumar, who is an executive engineer with the south municipal corporation.

“He was allegedly beaten up by some people who were protesting against the demolition of a house in Hauz Khas area in South Delhi,” said a police official.

The incident took place minutes before Bharti along with some of his supporters reached the spot to protest against the MCD and its demolition drive.

Bharti, however, claimed that those involved with the incident were not AAP workers and he had nothing to do with them.

He later met the South DC along with his supporters and questioned him as to why the MCD never takes action against the “high and mighty” and always targets the common man.

Bharti also said that MCD should do a survey and make a list of people including MPs, ministers, MLAs and councillors who have broken building bye-laws and take action against them before razing the house of a commoner. He also claimed that the authorities are specifically targeting AAP supporters.

In his complaint about the incident, the executive engineer claimed that he was beaten up by four people who were allegedly wearing AAP caps and were protesting outside the office before Bharti arrived.

As per Kumar’s statement, while he was using the biometric system to mark his presence in the office, he was caught by around four persons who were allegedly wearing AAP caps and who then thrashed him black and blue and fled from the spot.

His colleagues rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was given first aid and a medical examination was also done, police said.

“Kumar was targeted because he led the team which demolished an illegal house in Hauz Khas area on 22 February that belonged to one Mahavir Singh. The authorities had served him two notices before carrying out the demolition,” an official said.

A complaint in this regard was registered against four unidentified persons at Safdarjung Enclave police station under relevant provisions of the IPC.

Police said that they are investigating the matter to nab the accused. Police are analysing CCTV footage to identify the culprits.

Bharti is not new to controversy. When he was a minister in the AAP government, he had gone to a locality in his constituency of Malviya Nagar, claiming a drug and prostitution ring was being run from a residence there and demanded that police raid the place.

However, police had refused saying they have no warrant to do so. AAP workers then allegedly forced a couple of women from Uganda to give urine samples. Their action had come under all-round attack.

An FIR was also registered in this regard after a court order.

PTI