AAP MLA booked for ‘threatening’ to kill U.P. CM

Intruder throws ink at Somnath Bharti before being detained by police

Somnath Bharti.

A case was lodged in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli against AAP MLA from Delhi Somnath Bharti on the charge of threatening to kill U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said Rae Bareli Additional SP Vishwajeet Srivastava on Monday. He said a police team had reached the Irrigation Department guest house, where Mr. Bharti was staying, to arrest him regarding an earlier FIR lodged against him in Amethi on the charge of use of indecent language.

“Somnath Bharti used abusive language against the police team. He threatened he would strip the City Kotwal Rae Bareli of his uniform, and used foul language against the U.P. CM and threatened to kill him,” Mr. Srivastava said.

In a video of Mr. Bharti’s argument with the police, a man can be seen throwing black ink at him and shouting “

Yogi Adityanath zindabad [Long live Yogi Adityanath]”, before being detained by the police. With his face blackened by ink, Mr. Bharti was seen chasing the intruder as the police hurriedly escorted him away. “

Yogi toh jayega [Yogi will go],” Mr. Bharti was heard saying when the intruder threw ink on his face and said “

Kahin nahi jayega [He will not go anywhere]”.

Mr. Bharti allegedly also got into a heated argument with an officer. “

Yogi ko bol do, yeh sab karne se kuch nahi hoga. Yogi ki maut sunishchit hai [Inform Yogi nothing will happen by doing all this. Yogi’s death is confirmed],” he reportedly told the officer.

‘Charges wrong’

Mr. Bharti told

The Hindu that he did not make any statements threatening to kill the CM hief Minister or to instigate the people. “The charges against me are absolutely wrong. What I meant was the political death of Yogi Adityanath and nothing else.Death and political death are two different things. He is not my enemy, just a political opponent.”

The AAP MLA said he only talked about the “pathetic” condition of the schools and hospitals in Uttar Pradesh. “I was at the guest house of the Irrigation Department and the police were not allowing me to go out for a party function saying that senior officers are coming. Around 11.30 (a.m.) a BJP worker, despite the heavy police presence, came and threw ink at me while I was talking to the police,” he said.

“Shocked to learn that my bail application has been kept pending till 13th January n I am sent to judicial custody of 14 days,” Mr. Bharti later said in a tweet.

Reacting to the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the U.P. CM. “Yogiji, are your schools that bad? If someone goes to see your school, then why do you get so scared? Fix the schools. If you do not know how to do it, then ask Manish Sisodia,” he tweeted in Hindi.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh also condemned the incident. He alleged that Mr. Bharti was “attacked” by “BJP workers” in Rae Bareli and later arrested by the police.

(With inputs from Delhi correspondent)