AAP legislator Dinesh Mohaniya.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Dinesh Mohaniya has been booked for allegedly assaulting a fruit seller in Delhi's Sangam Vihar area earlier this week.
Mr Mohaniya, who is the MLA from Sangam Vihar, however, dismissed the allegation and said he had only asked the fruit seller to remove his stall, which was reportedly set up on top of a clogged sewer, for civic workers to clean the area.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Mr Mohaniya, the incident took place at Peepal Chowk in Ratia Marg on Wednesday, when the fruit seller, Naresh, was at his shop.
In his complaint, Mr Naresh said Mr Mohaniya and his aides arrived and started hurling abuses, asking him to ensure his shop does not encroach on the road.
Mr Naresh said that as he went inside his shop to get his phone, the AAP legislator and his aides followed him and allegedly assaulted him before leaving the spot. He also said that he recognises two of the AAP leaders' aides, who were present at the spot.
Mr Mohaniya said such allegations are bound to surface ahead of the Delhi elections in February.
"Police should review the CCTV footage of the area to ascertain the truth. That is a market area, how come no one witnessed the assault? There is a sewer below his shop and the civic workers have been asking him to clean it for quite some time. There has been a water logging issue. But he (Naresh) has been keeping his stuff on top of the sewer without cleaning it. I only shouted at him...," Mr Mohaniya told reporters.