NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Dinesh Mohaniya was whisked away by police in the middle of a press conference in South Delhi on Saturday for allegedly assaulting a female constituent from his Assembly.

Claiming that Mr. Mohaniya was scheduled to voluntarily visit the local police station, when officials interrupted the press conference, AAP termed the incident a symptom of “an unsaid emergency in the Capital” coming as it did on its 40th anniversary.

The Sangam Vihar MLA was picked up by a police team while addressing a press conference at his office in Khanpur in South Delhi.

Mohaniya, who is also the vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board, was booked on June 23 after locals of Sangam Vihar alleged that the MLA and his supporters roughed them up and misbehaved with women in his office when they went to complain about irregular water supply.

A case was registered under Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code at the Neb Sarai Police Station.

However, the police have also added Sections 354 and 354 (b).”We have added 354 and 354b sections of the IPC as well,” said Jimmy Chiram, ACP, Delhi Police.

However, the MLA had rubbished the allegations, saying it was an attempt to defame his reputation as the water mafia is frustrated because of the Delhi Government’s crackdown.Another case has been registered against Mohaniya for allegedly slapping a 60-year-old man in Tughlaquabad area on Friday.

A case has been registered against Mohaniya under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341(punishment for wrongful restraint) and 34 (act done by several persons)of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Govindpuri Police Station.

“You can see how the police is dragging me away like hooligans would in front of your eyes,” were Mr. Mohaniya’s words to stunned television crews as he was being taken away. Police sources said he would be detained at the Neb Sarai police station for questioning.

Police sources said they took the step after Mr. Mohaniya refused to join investigation despite being served a notice asking him to do so on Friday.
The AAP chief and Chief Minister Minister Arvind Kejriwal equated the development to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s way of commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Emergency by clamping an “unsaid” version of it in the Capital.

“Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorizing, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected” Mr. Kejriwal tweeted.”Dinesh mohaniya arrested from his press conference in front of all TV cameras. What msg does Modi want to give to everyone? (Sic.)” he said in another tweet.

Other functionaries from the Delhi government followed the Chief Minister’s lead with Aatishi Marlena, a prominent party figure, comparing visuals of Mr. Mohaniya’s arrest with that of a newspaper front page related to the declaration of the emergency in 1975.

“Are we not in an undeclared emergency again?” she asked.Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia added that the government and those who composed it wouldn’t cow down even if the Prime Minister decided to put “all” of them behind bars.

Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said the incident brought out the “Anti Woman Character of AAP Leaders” and established the fact that there was “extreme Water Scarcity in remote Resettlement Colonies & Villages of South Delhi.”

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