Somnath Bharti's Wife Lipika Mitra (PTI)
In some more controversy for Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the wife of party lawmaker and former Delhi minister Somnath Bharti has filed a complaint against him, accusing him of "domestic violence and mental torture".
Lipika Mitra, who has complained to the Delhi Commission for Women or DCW, has filed a complaint with the police. An FIR is yet to be filed, the police said. The women's body has summoned Mr Bharti, a lawyer, to appear before it on June 26.
In a 26-page complaint to the DCW, Ms Mitra alleged that she has been subjected to "continuous" physical and mental abuse and financial deprivation since their marriage in 2010.
The complaint also says Mr Bharti once set his dog on her when she was seven months pregnant. She wrote that he didn't provide money to support her or her children. "I want a separation. I want out from this marriage and live with dignity with my children," she said.
Barkha Singh, who heads the DCW and is closely associated with the Congress, alleged, "He had hit her before he left, threatened to kill her, abused her ... She has two children and even they are being harassed."
Mr Bharti, who is in Kerala said, "I am shocked, did not expect this," and also added, "all this is completely false, someone is behind this."
He later tweeted:
AAP, in its first reaction, has called it a personal matter.
Mr Bharti, 41, is the AAP legislator from Delhi's Malviya Nagar.
He was the Law Minister in the 49-day Arvind Kejriwal government of 2014. His midnight raid targeting African women at a south Delhi colony had badly dented the AAP government's image, but Mr Kejriwal had refused to sack him.
After the party's spectacular victory in this year's Delhi Assembly polls, Mr Bharti's was the most marked omission from Mr Kejriwal's cabinet.
The latest controversy comes a day after the arrest and resignation of Mr Bharti's successor and party colleague Jitendra Singh Tomar, who faces allegations of forging degrees.