Vigilante justice again, residents catch 'prostitutes'

AAP worker accuses BJP leader of being involved in it

 In an incident that brought back memories of AAP leader Somnath Bharti conducting a raid at a suspected prostitution hub in south Delhi in January, dozens of residents at Naraina protested outside the local police station alleging no action was being taken against some women they accused of being involved in prostitution.

A local BJP leader was running a sex and gambling racket at his home in south-west Delhi’s Naraina village, alleged Jai Bhagwan Tanwar, an AAP worker who said his party had no role in the protest.

Tanwar claimed that the villagers were fed up with the “nonsense” taking place in that house after which they caught four women and three men and brought them to the local police station.
The women were involved in prostitution while the men were either soliciting customers or were involved in gambling, alleged Tanwar.

Suman Goyal, DCP (South-West), told Deccan Herald that the allegations made by locals were unfounded and that the BJP leader had nothing to do with the incident as “he had rented out his house”. She refused to say if some women were indeed caught by the public and brought to the police station.

Another officer, on condition of anonymity, said an incident similar to the Somnath Bharti-episode would not be allowed to occur.

“The due process will be followed in such cases,” the officer said. Tanwar said protesting locals received a similar response at the local police station.

“Instead of registering an FIR against the BJP leader and the girls, police said we should have informed them and then they would send decoy customers. They had not been acting despite repeated complaints,” said Tanwar, adding police also refused to keep the girls at the police station beyond 6 pm.

No violence was reported from either side even as locals claimed a couple of them were roughed up some policemen.  This allegation was denied by police.