AAP’s Vikaspuri MLA arrested on ‘rioting’ charges

New Delhi : Aam Admi Party (AAP) MLA Mahendra Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police on Friday for allegedly provoking crowds during a protest, which turned violent.

He has also been held for assaulting a government official.

According to the police, the protests broke out after a child was raped in his Yadav’s assembly constituency Vikaspuri.

Yadav and his supporters allegedly created ruckus in Nihal Vihar area while protesting against the rape of the minor girl.

The police allege that he is responsible for inciting violence among the already angered crowd eventually turning the situation into a full-blown riot.

Yadav is likely to be produced in the Tis Hazari court this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has hit out at the Delhi Police, saying that they were back to their old habit of rounding up the AAP MLA’s.

“The Delhi Police is busy again arresting AAP MLA instead of ensuring women safety despite multiple warnings from the courts,” AAP leader Dilip Pandey told ANI.

This is the sixth arrest of an AAP MLA by the Delhi Police. In November 2015, AAP’s MLA Akhilesh Tripathi was held in a 2013 case of rioting and criminal intimidation and sent to judicial custody for two days.

Surinder Singh, AAP’s MLA from Delhi Cantonment, was arrested last August for allegedly assaulting an NDMC employee. He was granted bail later.

Former Delhi law minister Jitendra Singh Tomar was held in a fake educational degree case in June last year and Kondli legislator Manoj Kumar was apprehended in July in connection with a land fraud case.

AAP’s MLA Somnath Bharti was arrested in September last year after he surrendered in connection with the attempt to murder and domestic violence case filed by his wife.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has so far maintained that the Delhi Police is trying to ‘hound’ the ruling AAP MLAs by reopening old cases and creating new ones against them. (ANI)