New Delhi: AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was today arrested after a woman alleged that he tried to mow her down after she visited his residence to raise the issue of power cuts, making him the tenth party legislator to be arrested.
Khan was first detained for questioning and then arrested, a day after he alleged in a press conference that the woman was “pressurised” by police into giving a false statement against him.
“On July 22, the woman had recorded her statement before the magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC. She had alleged while she was returning from the legislator’s residence, a vehicle tried mowing her down and Amanatullah was sitting in it,” said Joint Commission of Police, Southeast Range, R P Upadhyay.
Prior to that, she had on July 19 filed a complaint with police alleging that at the AAP MLA’s residence in Jamia Nagar, a youth had on July 10 abused her and threatened that she would be killed if she did not stop politicising the matter. An FIR was subsequently registered in this regard.
After her statement to the magistrate, Section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was added to the FIR, the officer said.
“It is a non-bailable charge and we have arrested Khan,” Upadhyay said.
Reacting to Khan’s arrest, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Modi ji arrests one more AAP MLA.”
Further, he tweeted in Hindi, “Anandiben in Gujarat sends Dalits and Patidars to jails in false cases, Modiji sends Delhiites to jails in false cases. Delhi and Gujarat will now fight together”.
The woman had yesterday filed three police complaints alleging she was receiving threats from unknown persons, following which she has been provided security.
The woman, a resident of Jasola, had last week in a police complaint said she had telephoned Khan on July 10 and later went to his Batla House residence to raise the issue of power cuts with him.
She claimed the minister did not meet her and while she was returning, a youth came out of the house, abused her and threatened that she would be killed if she did not stop politicising the matter.
Later, the FIR was registered against an unidentified youth under sections 506 and 509 of IPC at Jamia Nagar police station.
Amanatullah had, however, said he did not even know if the woman came to his residence.
AAP had yesterday rubbished the allegation levelled against the MLA, claiming Delhi Police had “pressurised” the woman into giving a false statement against Khan.
At a news conference, the party played a video, in which the woman is purportedly seen telling someone “that the SHO of the Jamia Nagar police station asked her to add rape and murder charges in the FIR”.
“The woman is in touch with several BJP leaders and she was also taken to the magistrate by a lawyer affiliated to the party.
“The video also states that police asked her to file the complaint. The charge of rape was also added at the behest of police as an FIR would not have been possible otherwise,” Khan had yesterday said.
Khan had further said he has written a complaint to DCP (South-east) of the Delhi Police to file an FIR against the SHO and the woman for “framing” him.
PTI