JOIN USEC cracks whip on officer who shared details that Shaheen Bagh shooter had AAP links
The Election Commission has taken exception to the attempt made by Delhi Police to link a youth, who was accused of firing at the protest site at Shaheen Bagh, with the Aam Aadmi Party.
The EC on Wednesday asked Amulya Patnaik, Commissioner of Delhi Police, to act against Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Rajesh Deo, and ensure that he was not assigned any work related with the Assembly elections in the National Capital Territory.
The poll panel asked Patnaik to issue a warning and communicate to Deo its displeasure over his actions, with a copy of the note of warning being paced in his service record.
Delhi is set to go to polls on Saturday, even as a large number of people – mostly women – at Shaheen Bagh in the southern part of the National Capital Territory are protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government had brought into force in December.
Deo had on Tuesday told mediapersons that the cops had gathered evidence to suggest that Kapil Baisala, who had opened fire at Shaheen Bagh on Saturday, and his father Gaje Singh had joined the AAP in early 2019. He had also said that the photographic evidence was recovered from his phone.
“The commission has considered the matter in detail and is of the considered view that the above-referred statements referring to a political party at this stage even as an investigation is still going on has the effect of adversely impacting the elections,” Ajoy Kumar, Secretary of the EC, wrote to Commissioner of Delhi Police. “This action was totally uncalled for,” noted the EC, pointing out that the conduct of the DCP (Crime Branch) had “consequences on the holding of free and fair elections”.
The EC has also issued a notice to Bharatiya Janata Party leader and spokesperson Sambit Patra for prima facie violating the Model Code of Conduct, by making remarks, which, according to the poll panel, had the potential of disturbing communal harmony and aggravating the existing differences between social and religious communities. Patra made the remarks while participating in a debate on a TV channel on Monday. He has been asked to explain his position by 5 pm on Thursday.