Noida Police on Tuesday booked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan and his son for assault and criminal intimidation after the latter assaulted a petrol pump employee in Noida’s Sector 95, police said.
The AAP MLA, however, refuted the allegations, and said he had been wrongly framed in what he called “one-sided” police action.
The incident happened at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday at Shaheed Ramendra Pratap Filling Station after Mr. Khan’s son tried bypassing the queue, said Noida DCP Manish Kumar Mishra.
“He broke the line, fought with and threatened the salesperson, and forced him to fill petrol in his car before anyone else. He also hit an employee. Later, Mr. Khan himself came to the petrol station, and threatened and abused the employees,” DCP Mishra said, adding that the police will take legal action after gathering CCTV footage and other evidence.
In a purported video of the incident, two people can be seen getting out of a car amid an argument. One of them can be seen taking out a rod and brandishing it, sparking a brawl.
‘Running late for exam’
The MLA’s son told The Hindu that he was on his way to take his examinations when he stopped for petrol. He intervened when he noticed a woman employee being misbehaved with by a customer, and when another employee approached him, a fight ensued, he said.
“When I tried explaining to the employee that I was running late for my exam, he began fighting with me. A guard rushed to him and hit his back with his hand. After that, the matter escalated very quickly and I was not sure what happened, but suddenly, 10 to 15 men surrounded me, which caused the fight. I was just trying to be a responsible citizen and was worried about my exam,” he said.
He added that he left the station after the fight was resolved to take his exam. “My father went to the station after I left. He did not speak to anyone impolitely. We do not want to make a big issue of this fight since we understand the consequences of being a political family, especially during the election,” he said.
Mr. Khan alleged that the petrol pump employees had “misbehaved” with this son. “They [police] are using incomplete CCTV footage to malign my image and frame me in one-sided action,” he alleged.
‘Threats, intimidation’
The case was registered after complainant Vinod Kumar reported the matter to the police.
In the FIR, Mr. Singh said, “To protect the salesman, other petrol pump employees got involved in the scuffle. After that, senior employees broke up the fight and the police were called, but by that time, the MLA’s son had fled the spot.”
The complainant also alleged that Mr. Khan’s son physically assaulted the employees while threatening that he was an MLA’s son. “He even took out an iron rod from the car and began whacking at things. He broke the card machine too,” Mr. Singh is quoted to have said in the FIR.
Noida Police has registered an FIR against Mr. Khan, his son, and two co-passengers at the Noida Phase 1 police station under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 427 (sentence on offender already sentenced for another offence), said officials.
‘AAP responsible for MLA’s hooliganism’
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor slammed the AAP MLA, and said that the purported video of the assault and acts of “hooliganism” by his son had left the citizens of Delhi and Noida “stunned”.
Adding that Mr. Khan’s son was simply following in his footsteps since the MLA is “known for bullying tactics”, Mr. Kapoor said that after the incident, AAP leaders who question law and order are “accountable for the hooliganism” of their colleague, Mr. Khan.
