Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Aamanatullah Khan was arrested on Sunday on charges of threatening a woman and sent to one day police custody, while police said that complainant was being pressurised by his party leaders to change her statement.
"We have arrested the legislator today (Sunday) morning as the complainant again informed the police that he was threatening her and also trying to manipulate the evidences," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Rajeev Ranjan told IANS.
Khan, who represents Okhla, was presented before a duty magistrate who sent him to one day police custody.
A 35-year-old woman had filed a complaint against Khan on July 20 for allegedly threatening her with dire consequences.
A case was registered against him under Sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Jamia Nagar police station in south Delhi.
The alleged incident took place on July 10, when the complainant went to Khan's residence in Batla House area after a telephonic conversation with him to complain about poor electricity supply in Jasola area where she resides.
One of the legislators's supporters present there allegedly abused the woman and threatened her with dire consequences, the woman said in her complaint.
"She alleged that a person emerged out of the house and used abusive language against her and also threatened to get her raped and burn her alive. She further stated that the person also said that these are the words of Amanatullah Khan," police said.
Khan had also filed a counter-case on Saturday and claimed that he was not even in Delhi when he is supposed to have threatened the woman.
The AAP also released a secretly shot video of the woman on Saturday where she is heard saying she was told by the SHO to throw the rape charge at the legislator and said the complainant was acting under police pressure.
Meanwhile, alleging pressure by AAP, DCP Mandeep Randhawa said: "Complainant was being pressurised and had sought her safety. Even after her statement recorded under section 164 (of the CrPC), she was being approached," adding that the AAP sting is also a "matter of investigation" where workers are seen telling her to change her statement.
Delhi Police has also filed a FIR against the AAP workers for stopping an ambulance by blocking a road as a protest against the arrest of Khan, AAP legislator from Okhla.
"We tried to convince the AAP worker to vacate the road so that the ambulance can go. We are filing an FIR in this matter," Randhawa said.
Reacting to Khan's arrest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji arrests one more AAP MLA."
"(Gujarat Chief Minister) Anandiben (Patel) sends Dalits and Patidars to jail in fake cases in Gujarat, Modiji sends Delhi people to jail in fake cases. Delhi and Gujarat will now fight together," he said in another tweet.
Khan is the 10th Aam Aadmi Party legislator to be arrested since it swept to power in February 2015 after crushing the BJP in Delhi assembly elections.
In all but one case, the AAP has defended the legislators and accused the Modi government of vendetta.
--IANS
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