AAP MLA booked for cheating in Haryana; party slams BJP

Haryana Police has booked AAP MLA from Delhi Cantonment Surinder Singh on the charge of cheating after he was accused of getting a job as a government teacher on the basis of a fake graduation degree.

Acting on the complaint of BJP leader Karan Singh Tanwar, a former MLA from Delhi Cantonment, the Jhajjar police booked him.

Police today said Tanwar had moved a complaint before Jhajjar SP seeking registration of a case against the legislator after accusing him of getting the job on the basis of a forged graduation degree.

Reacting to the development, AAP leader from Haryana Naveen Jaihind charged it was being done at the behest of the ruling BJP and an atmosphere is being created to "browbeat our MLAs".

Documents related to his service record, which were procured under the RTI Act by Tanwar, show that the AAP legislator had passed Class XII, whereas he claimed to be a graduate while applying for the post of physical training instructor in a government school of Jhajjar, the complainant has alleged.

"The complaint against Surinder Singh is that he was employed as teacher in a government school in Jhajjar, a job which he is alleged to have got on the basis of a forged graduation degree. We have registered a complaint and we will get the degree verified," Jhajjar Police SP Jashandeep Singh said today.

He further added, "we have not called him for questioning as yet, first of all we will get the degree verified".

The AAP claimed that "Delhi police had given him clean chit earlier when similar charge was levelled against him".

Jaihind said, "at the behest of the ruling BJP, an atmosphere is being created to browbeat our MLAs. Since Delhi police had conducted a separate enquiry and given a clean chit then what is the logic of Haryana police taking cognisance of the same complaint. This is sheer harassment of our party legislator".

"We are saying if anyone has done any wrongdoing, arrest him and actively pursue the case before courts. But the way the BJP government is acting, it only shows that they are frustrated with AAP's growing popularity. But we are not going to be cowed down by such tactics. AAP party was formed after a revolution. People are wise and the know what tactics the BJP is adopting," Jaihind alleged.
So far, 12 AAP MLAs were arrested by the Delhi Police and their Punjab counterpart in various cases since the party came to power in Delhi for a second time in February last year.

The party has claimed that its MLAs were being arrested under a "conspiracy".