Court asks police to assess threat to AAP minister Imran Hussain

A court here has asked the police to assess the threat perception and provide necessary security if needed to Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain, who has alleged that he was mobbed by officials and staff, a day after the purported assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra's ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to take necessary action after viewing the CCTV footage from the Secretariat of the incident involving the minister.

The court said the CCTV footage prima-facie shows that the minister was also surrounded by a "herd of people and thereafter criminal force was used against him as well as his staff".
 

"Prima facie, I found merits in the contentions made by the counsel for the applicant (Minister) as the contents of the FIR show that the minister was going to his office when the alleged incident of criminal restrain, use of criminal force, causing hurt and damaging the belongings have taken place.

"The CCTV footage shown in the court also clarifies the same," the judge said.

The court, after viewing the CCTV footage submitted by the minister, said it was clear that he was restrained in the lift, huge crowd was present and criminal force was used.

It also directed the Station House Office (SHO) to seize and preserve the CCTV footage of all the cameras installed at the place.

The court had on February 27 asked the Delhi Police to file the report after Hussain approached it for preserving the CCTV footage of the alleged incident.

Hussain has lodged a complaint with the police claiming that a day after the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary, he was mobbed by the officials and staff of Delhi government who raised slogans and prevented him from taking the elevator to his 6th floor office at the Secretariat.

He said he was restrained from going to his office and his mobile phone was snatched during the incident.

The Delhi Government Employees Association had refuted the allegation and claimed that the minister had arrived at the Secretariat on February 20 when sloganeering was going on against the alleged assault on the chief secretary, but nobody manhandled him.