Delhi Police files FIR against AAP's Dilip Pandey for allegedly assaulting van driver

New Delhi: In a twist, Delhi Police on Thursday filed an FIR against AAP leader Dilip Pandey for assaulting the driver of a police van that allegedly “attempted to mow him down.” [caption id=“attachment_2360036” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AAP’s Dilip Pandey. Image Courtesy: Twitter[/caption] Sources said police was also contemplating to register a cross FIR against Azad Singh, the driver of the van, after Pandey filed a complaint against him, which was promptly projected by the AAP as an alleged attempt to “kill him”. “An FIR has been registered against Dilip Pandey and other volunteers of AAP, on a complaint filed by Azad Singh, who was driving the police van at Rajinder Nagar police station,” said a senior police officer. In his complaint Singh, head constable of First Battalion of Delhi Police, at Kingsway Camp, said that he was moving the van to give way to another vehicle when it lurched forward on a slope. “After this, those standing ahead of the vehicle started accusing him of trying to mow them down. Some (AAP volunteers) of them dragged him out and thrashed him,” the complaint said. Later, he was saved by a police inspector and taken to hospital as he had received injuries on chest and his right hand, the complaint added. “The van was going to run over me for which I filed a complaint. But the person who tried to kill me has instead filed an FIR against me,” Pandey said. Earlier today, a delegation of AAP leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and took up the matter. Senior leaders Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Durgesh Pathak and Pandey handed over a video of the incident that happened on Tuesday night. “He (Rajnath) told us that he is aware of the case through the media and he will talk to the officers regarding it,” Vishwas said. The meeting comes a day after AAP leaders met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi over the issue. AAP leaders said they have also sought President Pranab Mukherjee’s time to raise the issue with him. In the meeting, the AAP leaders also expressed concern about the “deteriorating” law and order in the national capital and reservations with the Home Minister over the gruesome murder of a 19-year-old girl in Anand Parbat area, in which AAP has alleged “laxity” on part of the police. “On one hand the Centre has its ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ and ‘Selfie with daughters’ campaign and on the other hand the attitude of the Delhi Police is visible. We have also kept our point on laxity in the investigation of the case. The mother of the accused who murdered 19-year-old Meenakshi has still not been arrested,” Vishwas said. Pandey said, the Union minister has assured them of reviewing the law and order situation in the capital. The party has alleged that the law and order in the city has “deteriorated”. The leaders also raised the issue of “police brutality” meted out to AAP volunteers. They have alleged that the volunteers who were protesting over the “laxity” shown by the police in the Meenakshi murder case, were mercilessly beaten by the law enforcing agency. “There could be political animosity, but the treatment meted out to the volunteers was inhuman. We have also shown them the photos of police brutality,” Pandey said. Pandey has alleged that a Delhi Police van tried to run him over on July 21 night outside the Rajinder Nagar Police Station, where protesting AAP volunteers were detained, a charge which has been rubbished by Police Commissioner BS Bassi. PTI