This has now made it difficult for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader to fend off charges of racism.
‘We were attacked on Wednesday night by Indians who were led by Somnath Bharti...We were harassed, we were beaten, they were having long sticks. They said we should leave their country or else they would kill us one by one,’ the Ugandan national said. The woman said she identified Bharti because ‘he came in the night and the next day I saw him on television. The Delhi Police came in time and saved us from the mob.’
She recorded her statement before a magistrate on Wednesday, saying that she would be able to identify the persons who had barged into her house on the intervening night of 15-16 January. The woman recorded her statement in camera under Sec 164 CrPC which is admissible in court. The statement has been now given to police in a sealed cover and will be opened only during the trial. Police has listed the Ugandan national as a prosecution witness in the case. She will again testify in court during the trial over the alleged incident.
Following the ‘identification’, Bharti came under attack for the midnight raid from women activists who sought his removal from the post for ‘misbeaving’ with the African women. Delhi Commission for Women summoned Bharti after the women alleged that they had been assaulted by the group led by the minister.
Bharti, on the other hand, denied having received any summon from the women’s body. ‘We had asked him to appear before the commission on Wednesday but he did not show up. We will be sending another summon through the concerned SHO to him on Thursday. If he still does not appear, we shall write to the Lt Governor and to the Delhi Police Commissioner to register an FIR,’ Barkha Singh, Chairperson of the Commission, said.
In an open letter to the Delhi chief minister, a group of women activists including Kavita Krishnan, who spearheaded protests during the Nirbhaya rape-and-murder case, said the conduct of the law minister was ‘shocking and is not acceptable.’
National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma said now it is clear that Bharti was present there at the spot as it has been confirmed by the Ugandan women after identifying him in the CD. Sharma said Bharti ‘should have resigned on his own.’
Accusing that attempts were being made to shield Bharti, AAP rebel MLA Vinod Binny said action must be taken against those misbehaved with the women.
Air Deccan founder and AAP member Capt G R Gopinath said that while AAP demanded action against police officers pending an inquiry on ground that they may interfere in the probe, the same yardstick should apply to Bharti.
However, transport minister Saurabh Bhardwaj defended his colleagues and said every citizen including a minister had a right to tell the police to raid a place if there was a drug or prostitution ring. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was not available for comment as he was ailing and did not attend office.
‘We were attacked on Wednesday night by Indians who were led by Somnath Bharti...We were harassed, we were beaten, they were having long sticks. They said we should leave their country or else they would kill us one by one,’ the Ugandan national said. The woman said she identified Bharti because ‘he came in the night and the next day I saw him on television. The Delhi Police came in time and saved us from the mob.’
She recorded her statement before a magistrate on Wednesday, saying that she would be able to identify the persons who had barged into her house on the intervening night of 15-16 January. The woman recorded her statement in camera under Sec 164 CrPC which is admissible in court. The statement has been now given to police in a sealed cover and will be opened only during the trial. Police has listed the Ugandan national as a prosecution witness in the case. She will again testify in court during the trial over the alleged incident.
Following the ‘identification’, Bharti came under attack for the midnight raid from women activists who sought his removal from the post for ‘misbeaving’ with the African women. Delhi Commission for Women summoned Bharti after the women alleged that they had been assaulted by the group led by the minister.
Bharti, on the other hand, denied having received any summon from the women’s body. ‘We had asked him to appear before the commission on Wednesday but he did not show up. We will be sending another summon through the concerned SHO to him on Thursday. If he still does not appear, we shall write to the Lt Governor and to the Delhi Police Commissioner to register an FIR,’ Barkha Singh, Chairperson of the Commission, said.
In an open letter to the Delhi chief minister, a group of women activists including Kavita Krishnan, who spearheaded protests during the Nirbhaya rape-and-murder case, said the conduct of the law minister was ‘shocking and is not acceptable.’
National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma said now it is clear that Bharti was present there at the spot as it has been confirmed by the Ugandan women after identifying him in the CD. Sharma said Bharti ‘should have resigned on his own.’
Accusing that attempts were being made to shield Bharti, AAP rebel MLA Vinod Binny said action must be taken against those misbehaved with the women.
Air Deccan founder and AAP member Capt G R Gopinath said that while AAP demanded action against police officers pending an inquiry on ground that they may interfere in the probe, the same yardstick should apply to Bharti.
However, transport minister Saurabh Bhardwaj defended his colleagues and said every citizen including a minister had a right to tell the police to raid a place if there was a drug or prostitution ring. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was not available for comment as he was ailing and did not attend office.