Mishra to join ACB probe into tanker scam today

Water minister Kapil Mishra and AAP Mehrauli legislator Naresh Yadav would be in public glare on Monday due to their possible interaction with law enforcers.

Mishra would appear before the Anti-Corruption Branch in connection with an alleged water tanker scam, while Yadav is likely to be contacted by Punjab Police team in a case of alleged sacrilege incident in that state last month.

Yadav was on a political visit to Punjab when the incident took place in Malerkotla on June 24. Both Mishra and Yadav have denied any wrongdoing.

Mishra on Sunday tweeted that he would reach the ACB office at 10.30 am to comply with a notice sent to him.

In Yadav’s case, AAP senior leader Sanjay Singh said there were reports that policemen from Punjab may come to Delhi on Monday to meet the Mehrauli legislator.

“The BJP and the SAD are playing dirty politics to frame our MLAs,” said Singh. Yadav dismissed claims of Punjab Police that he was in touch with one of the accused of the June 24 incident.

Agency reports said that an accused claimed that he had acted at the behest of the AAP legislator – a charge denied by Yadav.

AAP sources said a Punjab police team from Sangrur is likely to visit the capital on Monday and try to seek help from a court here to reach Yadav.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is on a three-day visit to Punjab and any attempt by investigators from that state to reach Yadav is likely to raise political temperature in the agrarian state heading for Assembly polls early next year.

Earlier on Saturday, water minister wrote to an inspector in ACB and sought a copy of the FIR in connection with the alleged Rs 400-crore water tanker scam in which former chief minister Sheila Dikshit has been named.

 In his letter to investigation officer Brij Mohan, Mishra sought to know in which case he has been summoned by the probe agency as it has not mentioned any case in its notice served on him last month, calling it “defective”.

No mention of case

"Though, the notice does not mention the case regarding which I have been called to appear and is therefore defective, I understand that it might be pertaining to the investigation into the tanker scam for which I had written to the Lieutenant Governor.

“Further, as a complainant in the aforesaid case, I am  entitled to a copy of the FIR which I have not received. It is, therefore, requested that a copy of the FIR filed in this case may be furnished to me. I shall in any case be attending the hearing on July 4,” Mishra said.
The ACB is also looking into a complaint by the Delhi BJP alleging that Kejriwal tried to delay the probe into the water tanker scam by withholding a committee’s report for over 15 months.