One of the accused in Delhi's New Year horror, in which a woman died after being dragged by a car through the capital's streets, is a BJP member, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged today.
Addressing the media over the shocking incident in Sultanpuri, AAP's chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said Manoj Mittal, one of the five accused arrested in the case, is a BJP member and accused Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and senior officials of Delhi Police of deliberately concealing this information.
Sharing photographs of Mongolpuri police station, where the case has been registered, Mr Bhardwaj said it is ironic that right next to the police station is a hoarding that has Mittal's photograph and identifies him as a BJP member.
Responding to the AAP charge, Delhi BJP's media cell head Harish Khurana said police have arrested the accused. The guilty should be given the strictest punishment regardless of the party they belong to, he said, according to a PTI report.
The AAP, which has repeatedly clashed with the Lt Governor's office over a division of powers to govern the capital, today demanded the immediate dismissal of Mr Saxena from the post. "He knows nothing about Delhi. If I leave him at Sultanpuri, he would not know which direction Najafgarh is in," Mr Bhardwaj said.
The AAP leader accused the centre of dumping officers from outside the capital in key posts.
The Sultanpuri shocker also prompted a fresh attack by AAP on Delhi Police, the control of which is a major bone of contention between the centre and the capital government.
Mr Bhardwaj told the media that the eyewitness, who informed police about the woman being dragged through the streets, made 22 calls, but the police still failed to catch the accused red-handed.
Delhi Police have said that the accused had told them that their car had met with an accident, but did not know that the woman was dragged along.
Shredding this argument, Mr Bhardwaj, "Even if a polythene gets stuck under our car, it starts making a noise, and we get down and check. Here, a body was dragged for 12 km. And police are saying the music was so loud that the accused were clueless about it."
He also slammed Delhi Police officer Harendra Singh, who yesterday dismissed allegations that the woman was raped and warned that those posting such charges on social media would face action.
"I am demanding a probe into the sexual assault allegations. I dare DCP Harendra Singh to arrest me. Such audacity! Journalists are being threatened, forced to delete tweets," he said.
The woman, Anjali Singh, was a resident of Aman Vihar in north-west Delhi. Her mother, Rekha, has alleged sexual harassment. "Her clothes cannot be completely torn off. Her entire body was naked when they found her. I want a full investigation and justice," she said yesterday.
The woman's autopsy is yet to be conducted.
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