JOIN USThe husband of Southwest Delhi councillor Poonam Bhardwaj has been booked for molesting, assaulting and robbing a 21-year-old woman on Tuesday afternoon.
Police identified the accused as Surendra Bhard, husband of Poonam, the councillor from Raj Nagar ward in Bijwasan constituency. He has been absconding since the incident and the police are conducting raids on his suspected hideouts.
“A case under IPC’s sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) has been registered against Bhardwaj at Palam Village police station,’’ said a police officer investigating the case.
The incident took place at a coaching centre in South-West Delhi’s Dwarka area on Tuesday. The woman is preparing for competitive exams and attends the coaching centre.
She told the police in her complaint that she has met Bhardwaj a few months ago and had mentioned to him that she needed an OBC certificate. She had come to know from people that Bhardwaj was into this business.
Whether his alleged business was legal or illegal would be known only after he is arrested and questioned, the police said. Around a week ago, Bhardwaj called the woman and asked her to visit his residence and collect the certificate from him. He allegedly insisted that she visit him alone, which alerted her and she revealed the matter to her family. The matter reached Bhardwaj’s wife also, the police said.
“When the accused learned about this, he along with some of his associates angrily barged into her coaching centre around 6.15 pm on Tuesday. He allegedly molested the woman and tried to force her away from the coaching centre,” said a police officer.
The woman alleged that a teacher who tried to intervene and save her was also assaulted by Bhardwaj and his men. The accused finally left the spot without the woman, but allegedly took away her tablet and Rs 4,000 cash from her purse.