The Aam Aadmi Party escalated its confrontation with Jung over the recent murder of NDMC officer M M Khan, allegedly at a hotelier’s bidding, after he refused to accept a bribe to extend the lease of his establishment.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday accused that a former BJP MLA, MP Maheish Girri and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung “supported the hotel owner who got NDMC officer MM Khan murdered,” adding that “the accused was working under political patronage”.
“Even I am shocked to see how an honest officer was murdered. The murderer is a hotel owner, who is in jail now. BJP’s ex-MLA and MP supported the hotel owner. The LG himself intervened into the NDMC within a week. So, it is clear that the hotel owner had a political patronage,” Sisodia said. He further stated that with the kind of letters coming out in the open, it is to be seen whether any other person is involved in the murder. “It is needed to be seen whether any other people are also involved in this other than the LG, Maheish Girri and ex-MLA,” he added.
“His (Jung’s) role is suspicious in the case. Why had he written to NDMC seeking action against Khan? We demand that the LG be arrested and sacked from his position,” AAP’s Delhi Unit Convener Dilip Pandey told a press conference. “We also demand that the Delhi Police stop reporting to the LG and report to Ministry of Home Affairs,” he added.
It has come to light that a day after Khan was murdered for allegedly refusing to take bribe from Delhi hotelier Ramesh Kakkar, Jung’s office had purportedly sent Kakkar’s petition against Khan to NDMC asking for “action as per law”. Khan, an estate officer of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), was shot dead in Jamia Nagar a day before he was scheduled to pass the final order on the lease terms of hotel The Connaught which was functioning on a property of the civic body, on May 16.
Further intensifying its tirade against Jung, with whom it has been locked in confrontation over a number of issues, Rakhi Birla, the chairperson of the Petitions Committee of the state Assembly, said Jung and Anti-Corruption Branch chief M K Meena will be summoned for “questioning” in connection with five cases of alleged scam during the tenure of Sheila Dikshit as Chief Minister.
Birla claimed the panel has the power to summon the LG who has to tell as to why action was not initiated on the five FIRs registered during the AAP government’s earlier 49-day stint in power.
She said investigating officers of these cases will also be summoned by the nine-member committee whose all members are Aam Aadmi Party MLAs.
“At a meeting of Petitions Committee, we have decided to summon the LG, Meena and investigating officers for questioning. We will also seek legal opinion from the Standing Counsel to proceed in the matter,” Birla told reporters. She said the issue was serious as two former Union Ministers and a prominent industrialist were involved in the cases. She alleged the LG and ACB adopted an “indifferent attitude” in getting the cases probed.
Meanwhile, late on Thursday, the ACB said it has summoned Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra to appear on July 4 for questioning in the alleged water tanker scam.