JOIN USThe Aam Aadmi Party has denied that the Friday night clash between its volunteers and police at Burari was a case a vigilantism. But the ruckus brought back memories of the confrontation in Khirki Extension during AAP’s first term when Law Minister Somanth Bharti led a raid against some African women, accusing them of being involved in prostitution.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal himself had sat on a dharna then seeking suspension of policemen over this and another incident.
The AAP has denied that there was vigilantism involved in Friday’s incident that involved two of its MLAs allegedly leading a mob demanding an FIR in a kidnapping case. Fifteen people, nine of them policemen, were hurt, according to police.
“Five-seven people reached the police station and requested for an FIR, but police were in a denial mode. So in order to put the point more emphatically, they called on their friends and relatives. It is evident that when an aam aadmi feels helpless, he seeks strength in numbers,” party leader Dilip Pandey said at a news conference on Saturday.
He said police were responsible for creating a situation of confrontation.
“It is our government in Delhi. But who is to be blamed for the trust deficit between public and police? Who is responsible for it?” Pandey said.
Delhi Police are controlled by the Union Home Ministry; the city government has no say in their functioning.
While police have registered an FIR against AAP’s Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha and Model Town MLA Akhilesh Tripathi for their involvement in alleged stone-pelting, the AAP said police were trying to sweep the case under the carpet.
Sanjeev Jha said, “When I came to know about the incident, I called up the SHO and asked him to lodge an FIR. But an hour later I learnt that the people who went to the police station were manhandled.”
“People grew in number as the information spread. And while we were waiting for the Deputy Commissioner of Police to come, the area was cordoned off and there was a lathicharge,” he added.
The Delhi government said it will constitute a magisterial probe into the incident.