Shaheen Bagh Shooter & Father Joined AAP in 2019, Say Delhi Police; Family Denies Claim
NEW DELHI : The man who opened fire at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area last week joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) a year ago, the Delhi Police said on Tuesday. Kapil Baisala, 25, was arrested on February 1 for firing in the air at Shaheen Bagh, which has been at the centre of protests in the national capital against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Shaheen Bagh shooter Kapil Gujjar admitted to the Delhi Police that he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in early 2019. The Delhi Police also recovered photos of Kapil Gujjar with several senior leaders of the AAP from his mobile phone.
The revelation has been made by the Crime Branch of Delhi which is interrogating Kapil Gujjar who fired shots at Shaheen Bagh earlier this week.However, the AAP has denied any link with shooter Kapil Gujjar.Kapil Gujjar also revealed that his father Gaje Singh was also an AAP member and that both he and his father joined the party in 2019.
Kapil Gujjar’s father had earlier contested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) election in 2012 on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket. In the photos, accessed from the phone, Kapil Gujjar can be seen with senior leaders of the AAP like Sanjay Singh and Aatishi along with his supporters.
Crime Branch of Delhi has reportedly also told the court about this connection between Kapil Gujjar, his father, and the Aam Aadmi Party.
AAP said it was all a BJP conspiracy and the police was acting under the orders of Union home minister Amit Shah. AAP, he aid, would send a legal notice to the officer who made the claim and also complain to the Election Commission.
With just three days to go before the Delhi assembly elections, the Delhi Police claimed that the shooter had confessed to being a primary member of the Aam Aadmi Party. As proof, they had released photographs of 25-year-old Kapil Gujjar with AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Aatishi.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who called the Chief Minister a “terrorist”, today said AAP was “trying to cause riots in Delhi”. “Sanjay Singh got this man to join the party as he wanted to incite the young partymen,” the minister said.”The country and Delhi today saw the dirty side of the Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal and his people sold the country’s security for political ambition,” BJP chief JP Nadda said.
At a press conference called at 9 in the evening, Sanjay Singh hit back. Producing a series of photographs of BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, with various people allegedly involved in criminal cases, he said saying a photo proved nothing.
“Asaram Bapu can be seen with PM in this photo. Does this mean the PM must be blamed for all of Asaram Bapu’s crimes? (Manohar Lal) Khattar is here seen in the photo with Ram Rahim. Does that mean that Khattar must be blamed for all of Ram Rahim’s crimes?” he said.
The Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, found images on Baisala’s phone showing him with AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh. Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Deo said, “In our initial investigation, we found some photos from Kapil’s phone that establish that he and his father joined AAP a year ago and he has already disclosed it. We have taken his remand for two days.”
Baisala’s father reportedly contested elections twice on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket — from Jangpura in 2008 and then Patparganj four years later.Deo said the photographs, which were deleted, were recovered with the help of a technical team. “The Crime Branch raided Kapil’s place and recovered his phone,” said the official.
Baisala’s family, however, refuted the police’s claim. His uncle, Fatesh Singh, said he has no idea where the photographs are circulating from. “My nephew Kapil had no association with any political party nor does any other member from the family is. My brother Gaje Singh (Kapil’s father) fought the assembly elections in 2008 for the BSP and lost. After that no one from our family had any links with any political party,” he said.
Singh said Baisala also does not have any friends associated with the AAP or any other political party.Responding to the allegations, Singh accused the BJP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of a “conspiracy” and of “indulging in dirty politics”.
“Amit Shah is the home minister of the country at this time. Now just before elections, photos and conspiracies will be found,” said Singh. “With three to four days left for the elections, the BJP will do as much dirty politics as they can. What does having a picture with someone mean?”
In his statement to the Delhi Police, Baisala said he and his father joined AAP early last year.tishi, who was also seen in the photographs with Baisala, said the BJP’s “dirty tricks department” has started working 48 hours before the elections, scheduled for February 8
48 hours left before elections and the BJP dirty tricks department is at play, since their own surveys are showing them being defeated badly. Lets see what more lies and dirt they try in the next 2 days!
BJP President JP Nadda said this exposed the dirty face of the party and Kejriwal who were playing with the country’s security. In a series of tweets, he said people of the country and Delhi today have seen the AAP’s dirty face.
“For political longing, Kejriwal and his people even sold the security of the country. Earlier, Kejriwal used to insult the Army and advocate terrorists, but today, relations with those who carry out their terrorist activities came to light,” he said.
Nadda said he wanted to make it clear to Kejriwal that this country is bigger than any election, any government, and “this nation will not forgive those who play with its security. Kejriwal and his entire team have been exposed. The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply”.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar alleged that “their (AAP’s) designs are very clear from the beginning and they are trying every trick”. Their entire conspiracy is to “divide society, cause fear in a community and create a vote bank”, he claimed.
The investigation has revealed that Baisala came to Shaheen Bagh on a motorbike and another person identified as Sarthak, who has also joined the probe. Through technical surveillance and other evidence including footage from CCTV, it was found they took the road via the Delhi-Noida-Delhi Expressway (DND) and on to Maharani Bagh and Holy Family. There, at the parking, Baisala adjusted his pistol and went to Shaheen Bagh.
The sources added that Sarthak was sent back with Baisala’s mobile phone and CCTV footage from the location has confirmed the former’s statement. After being overpowered by police at Shaheen Bagh, Baisala had chanted ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and said, “Humare desh mein aur kisi ki nahi chalegi, sirf Hindu ki chalegi (only Hindus shall have a say in our country, no one else),” as he was taken into custody by the Delhi Police.
This episode of firing was the second such incident at Shaheen Bagh. Last Thursday, a man fired his pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters outside Jamia Millia Islamia University, injuring a student. The women of Delhi’s little-known locality have been staging a peaceful sit-in protest against the CAA, which started a few days after an attack on students of Jamia Millia Islamia in December. The area, which lies just ahead of the university, has since then been blocked, choking the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch.
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