Monday, February 24, 2014

Somnath Bharti night raid: No one will be spared who interfere with law says police

Delhi police sounded a warning on Friday to those interfering with law and order in the capital saying nobody will be spared from now on be it ‘chief minister or anyone else’.

“We will not spare anyone from today, be it the chief minister or his ministers. Police will take legal action immediately against those persons found to be interfering with the law and order and police’s day to day work,” top sources in Delhi police said.

Delhi police today submitted a detailed report to the lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung in the morning, giving blow by blow account of the incident and highlighting the law minister’s high-handedness in the matter.

“He is a law minister but does not know the law. Whatever he did was illegal,” a senior police officer said, adding: “There is no question of taking action against our men who were abused when they refused to take action against the alleged prostitution and drug racket”.

Police said the Aam Aadmi Party minister asked the local cops to make illegal arrests and also to frisk Nigerian and Ugandan women in the absence of women constables.

“We could have booked him and his aides under relevant section of the Indian Penal Code for creating nuisance in public place and preventing government servants from discharging their duties. But this could have led to serious law and order problem and the matter could have gone out of control,” the police official added.

The Commissioner of Police B S Bassi and special commissioner of police (law and order) Deepak Mishra went to meet Najeeb Jung where chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his ministers Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Birla and Manish Sisodia were present.  During the meeting the police submitted two four pages report on Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Birla illegal intervention with police investigations Wednesday night.

The police chief B S Bassi coming out the meeting stated that they have submitted the report and ‘lieutenant governor will take decision on it’. The Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung in the afternoon ordered an enquiry into the dispute between ministers and the Delhi Police.

“A retired judge, B.L. Garg, will enquire into the matter. He has been asked to submit the report within 30 days,” an official said.

Over AAP ministers demand on suspension of four police officers including assistant commissioner of police Bharat Singh Jakhad, during evening the police chief said, “No action against the our men. They are not at fault. None will be suspended. Lt. Governor has announced an enquiry lets wait for outcome. Primia facia enquiry has not revealed any lapse on the part of the police.”

Excerpts of police report on Somnath Bharti’s intervention

First they detained two women and asked the PCR personnel to frisk them. But the men denied as they were not legally empowered to do so. Then their men caught hold of four more women (foreign national) from Uganda and alleged they were drug traffickers and sex workers.

The minister asked us to the nabbed foreign national to frisk them to recover drugs. When the officers denied that it was not possible in the circumstances, the minister and his men demanded that they be taken to police station. When they were told that this was not allowed after sunset they insisted they are checked inside the PCR van. When that was denied they asked us to frisk them in a religious place (read Sai temple) which the staff categorically refused.

It was then they insisted they be taken to hospital and examined and frisked there. They were taken there at 6 am and let off after they tested negative for drugs or any psychotropic substances.

Excerpts of police report on Rakhi Birla’s intervention

The minister first arrived at the Sagarpur police station at 9:30 pm and shouted out at the additional SHO saying police haven’t taken the victim’s statement and the police is shielding the accused. When the additional SHO was explained that the FIR was filed on the victim’s statement, the minister asked them to show her the scene of the crime

The minister asked the police team to show her the evidence collected. The SHO rushed to the police station and explained to her that doing that could hamper the investigation, but she was started shouting and screaming.

The minister said that that the accused were still hiding in the house and asked her party workers to check the building despite the police team said there was no need of it and as it is illegal.  Late in the night the minister forced the SHO Richhpal Singh to conduct raid the tenants of the house, which included women. The SHO said that he did not want to disturb the family in the night and he had no court order. But the minister and her supporters forcibly entered the house and misbehaved with the tenants and found that there was no one hiding. The minster also forced the SHO to break the locked keys of the owner of the house stating that there might me evidence which police might have not collected.
ENDS

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