The Election Commission has written to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik over "undesirable public statements by Rajesh Deo, DCP (Crime Branch)”, who on Tuesday, 4 February, had identified the Shaheen Bagh shooter as an AAP member.
The DCP (Crime Branch) Rajesh Deo referring to AAP in connection with Shaheen Bagh shooter was"totally uncalled for", the EC said on Wednesday, as it directed the police not to assign him any election-related work.
"A warning shall be issued to Rajesh Deo and it shall be ensured that he is not assigned any work related to Delhi elections," the letter stated.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, DCP Deo had said, "In our initial investigation, we found some photos from Kapil's phone that establish (that he is an AAP member)... Kapil has confessed that he and his father joined AAP sometime between January and February 2019... We have taken his two days remand. (sic)"
‘BJP Using Police’: Kejriwal on Shooter’s ‘AAP Link’
Responding to the claim by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that this is a “poll stunt” by the BJP.
“BJP is using Delhi Police. If Kapil has links with AAP, he must be given stringent punishment. It's their political stunt before polls,” he said.
Shooter’s Family Denies AAP Links
Meanwhile, the family of the man who fired shots at Shaheen Bagh denied any links with the AAP, countering the police narrative.
“Neither me nor any member of my family has anything to do with AAP. I was in BSP till 2012. I left politics in 2012,” Kapil Gujjar’s father told ANI.
‘Is Amit Shah Telling Him to Say These Things?’: AAP
Earlier on Tuesday, AAP had also hit back, saying that they will complain to the Election Commission against DCP Deo.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP is using dubious tactics to win the Delhi polls and that the police is acting like the BJP's spokesperson.
"The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place and the DCP (Crime Branch) is saying photos of AAP members have been found and we are investigating how many people are involved... Is Amit Shah telling him to say these things? On whose instructions did he dare to do this?" Singh said at a press conference.
"The investigation has not been completed, photos have not been investigated and a police officer is taking a party's name, at a time when MCC is in place. Tomorrow, we will complain to EC against him," he had added.
Gurjar had been taken into custody by the police after he fired at the Shaheen Bagh area, the epicentre of anti-CAA protests, on 1 February.
‘AAP Stands Badly and Thoroughly Exposed’: BJP
Meanwhile, BJP chief JP Nadda reacted to the row on Tuesday, saying that the "people of the country and Delhi saw the dirty face of AAP."
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the photo showed how "AAP instigates the youth and misuses them".
“It is not a casual photo. He (Kapil Gujjar) was joining Aam Aadmi Party and Sanjay Singh welcomed him. This shows how AAP instigates the youth and misuses them. Hence, AAP stands exposed before people of Delhi.”Prakash Javadekar
Sources cited by ANI had said that the Crime Branch had found certain pictures on Gujjar's mobile phone, in which he could be seen with AAP leaders.
"Kapil can be seen joining the AAP a year ago in the pictures, that have been recovered from his phone. Kapil had joined AAP along with his father and several others," the sources had said.
What Happened at Shaheen Bagh?
The man in question had fired two rounds in the air at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area – the epicentre of anti-CAA protests – on Saturday, 1 February. Taken into custody by the police following the incident, he reportedly chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' and was heard saying on video, “Hamare desh mein aur kisi ki nahi chalegi, sirf Hinduon ki chalegi (In our country, only Hindus will have their way, nobody else.)”
Earlier on Tuesday, a court had extended by two days the police custody of Gujjar, after the Delhi Police said there was a possibility that the incident was a part of a larger conspiracy.
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