AIIMS report says AAP MLA's wife had burn injuries

Bharti used to harass and beat wife, say Delhi Police

In a big jolt to controversial AAP leader Somnath Bharti, who is facing a domestic violence case, the police on Friday told the Delhi High Court that a medical report has opined that the scars on his wife’s body were “due to dog bites and burn injuries”.

The investigators also told Justice I S Mehta that Bharti, former Delhi law minister, used to harass and beat his wife Lipika Mitra, who has sought cancellation of his bail in a domestic violence case lodged by her.

The MLA, who was granted bail on October 7, 2015, after being in jail for eight days, has denied the allegations. His counsel on Friday told the court that they would like to file a rejoinder.

The police, which has filed its affidavit following the court’s direction, also submitted in the court that an “AIIMS medical board has opined that the scars on the woman’s body were due to dog bites and burn injuries”.

Charge sheet

The investigators had on April 5 last year filed the charge sheet in the case, mentioning that the woman had made an allegation that Bharti had endangered the life of an unborn child which she was carrying by unleashing his dog on her.

The police said “the AIIMS medical board had examined six photos, which are concerned with the treatment history of dog bite, prescribed by Ayushman hospital (in Dwarka)”.

“We are also of the opinion that the scar marks could be due to consequences of dog bite injuries,” the police said in its affidavit. It also claimed that some of the injury marks were “due to burns.”

In its affidavit, the police stated: “Somnath Bharti used to harass, beat and abuse the petitioner (wife) from the very beginning of the marriage, despite having knowledge about her frail health conditions.

The medical record produced by the petitioner (wife) was examined and verified and it shows that she was suffering from diabetes and hypertension at the time of pregnancy.”

The police claimed that there was sufficient evidence on record for offences such as attempt to murder, act done with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth and causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means against the MLA from Malviya Nagar.