The detaining of 52 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs on Sunday was termed as necessary action by the Delhi Police, which said they had defied prohibitory orders and ignored requests to stage the protest elsewhere.
The police said the action was a response to the AAP MLAs’ offer to surrender before the Prime Minister, who they said was carrying out a ‘witch hunt’ against them. The immediate trigger of the protest, however, was a police complaint made by the president of the Ghazipur vegetable market association, which said Mr. Sisodia had adopted a dictatorial attitude with regard to hearing grievances during his visit to Ghazipur Mandi on Saturday.
According to the police, the case of Dinesh Mohaniya, whose arrest in a molestation case is said to have sparked off Sunday’s protest and was likened to the Emergency by the AAP, was in contrast to the complaint against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as no cognisable offence was made out in this case.
Police speak
Special Commissioner of Police (North Zone) S.B.K. Singh said the AAP MLAs had been advised not to march towards the Prime Minister’s residence as Section 144 (unlawful assembly) remains imposed there. “When they were leaving the Chief Minister’s residence, our officers had requested them not to march to the PM’s residence, and go to Jantar Mantar instead. But, they did not agree,” said Mr. Singh.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Taj Hassan added that the case of Mr. Mohaniya’s arrest during a press conference was different as the allegations against him (of molestation) were serious. Asked why the police did not wait till the press conference was over, officials said that Mr. Mohaniya had not responded to notices and they feared that he could resort to evasive tactics after the press conference.
The press conference, in fact, saw an unusual gathering of three special commissioners, and two joint commissioners and deputy commissioners.
About the initial FIR not mentioning allegations of molestation and these being levelled by a woman while recording her statement before a magistrate, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ishwar Singh said that it was a judicial confession made when the police were not present. According to the DCP, the police had to act as per the allegations.
Another senior police officer said that Mr. Mohaniya had ignored two notices. “When we sent the first one, Mr. Mohaniya’s father refused to receive it. We then got a call from the MLA asking why was the notice sent, but he remained non-committal about joining the probe. He then returned the second notice when we sent a police team to nab him. The press conference was merely incidental,” said the officer.
They added that while Mr. Mohaniya was ignoring the notices, another allegation of him slapping a 60-year-old man in Janakpuri had surfaced — a case that requires custodial interrogation.
