Two AAP MLAs arrested

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday rejected the demand of police for two-day custodial interrogation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal, arrested in connection with the alleged assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash during a meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Monday night.

Metropolitan magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon refused the plea of the Delhi police and posted for hearing the bail petition of the two MLAs at 4:30 pm. The court will decide whether to grant them bail or sent to judicial custody.

Amanatullah Khan was arrested on Wednesday after he appeared at Jamia Nagar police station and Prakash Jarwal, AAP legislator from Deoli, was detained late on Tuesday, was also formally arrested, a police official said.

In his complaint, Anshu Prakash had alleged that he was sitting on a sofa flanked by Amanatullah and another AAP MLA during the meeting, and without provocation, the two legislators “started hitting and assaulting” him “with blows on head and temple”. The AAP has denied the allegations.

Amanatullah, MLA from Okhla, was accompanied by a large group of supporters as he arrived at the police station at noon. He was later handed over to the civil lines police.  “Khan has been arrested and he will be produced in Tis Hazari court,” said Additional DCP(north) Harendra Kumar Singh.    

Jarwal will also be produced in the same court. A case has been registered at Civil Lines police station on the complaint filed by the Chief Secretary. Amanatullah alleged that the Chief Secretary was acting at the behest of the BJP and “the incident is a pretext to dismiss the AAP government”. The Delhi Police is working under pressure of the home minister, he alleged.