AAP MLAs clash with Delhi police over kidnapping of a boy, 15 injured

An FIR has been registered against two AAP MLAs and their supporters, six of whom have been arrested, over a violent clash with police at Burari police station in north Delhi on 20 February which left 15 people injured. [caption id=“attachment_2114467” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] While the MLAs, Sanjeev Jha from Burari and Akhilesh Pati Tripathi from Model Town, have not been arrested, they have been named in the FIR, police said on Saturday. Six people have been arrested, according to The Times of India. Nine policemen and six AAP members, including Jha, were injured in the clash which erupted after Jha’s vehicle was not allowed entry into the Burari police station, where he and his supporters had come around 11 pm on Friday to register a case against an alleged kidnapper whom they had caught abducting a boy from Pradhan Enclave colony. Soon, Tripathi also came with his supporters. As AAP workers pelted stones at police, cops resorted to lathi charge. Several vehicles were also damaged in the clash and those injured were taken to hospitals. “The AAP MLA’s vehicle was unidentified, (it) did not have any sticker on it; so it was stopped. There were some anti-social elements who started stone pelting over the issue. We have registered an FIR in which the two MLAs have been named along with others,” DCP (North) Madhur Verma said. The FIR was registered under sections of rioting, unlawful assembly, obstructing public servant from carrying out his duty, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and mischief at Burari Police Station. Apart from Jha and Tripathi, the six arrested people have also been named in the FIR. When asked why the MLAs were not arrested, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said, “We have registered an FIR and some people have been arrested. Further investigations are on.” AAP slammed the Delhi police for its “barbarism”, accused the Delhi police of not taking action in an alleged kidnapping case, leading to the clash. The party said that on Friday evening, when the two kids in the area went missing, their families launched a manhunt. “The families found that the kids were kidnapped. When the kidnappers were apprehended by the family and locals, they went to the police to register a case. But for 4-5 hours, no case was registered. “We expected a basic thing to register an FIR in the case, but the police paid no heed. When no FIR was registered, the locals contacted our MLAs,” party leader Dilip Pandey said. “We also called the local DCP to look into the matter, but he said, he will send his ACP. Sometimes later, the police said the DCP will look into the matter. When people started gathering they started cordoning the area and it is when the police started charging at us,” Sanjeev Jha said. Jha said, had the police taken a timely action and arrested the culprits, the situation would not have reached this stage. However, the police gave a different version of the incident. “A PCR call of two children being abducted from Burari area was received around 5.30 pm on Friday. The children were recovered within a few minutes and the accused were apprehended. A copy of the FIR was given to the parents,” TOI quoted a senior police officer as saying. The police also said that the clash actually began when Jha got agitated because he was not allowed to park his car inside the police station because his car did not have a sticker. (With inputs from PTI)