New Delhi:The Delhi Police Crime Branch will lead the investigation into the case registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following an alleged scuffle on Parliament premises that left two BJP MPs injured. Officials said the case has been transferred from the local police to the Crime Branch for a more detailed probe.
On Thursday, an FIR was filed at Parliament Street Police Station against Gandhi, following a complaint by the BJP. The complainants accused him of physical assault and incitement after MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were reportedly injured. The FIR has been lodged under sections 115, 117, 125, 131, 351, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, pertaining to voluntarily causing hurt, grievous hurt, endangering life, and use of criminal force, among other offences.
A senior officer said the Crime Branch would record statements from Sarangi and Rajput and may also summon Gandhi for questioning. Investigators plan to review CCTV footage and have reached out to media outlets to gather potential video evidence. Recreating the scene of the incident is also on the table.
Meanwhile, the police have sought legal advice on a separate complaint filed by Congress leaders, who alleged that BJP MPs misbehaved with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Parliament premises. The decision on converting the Congress complaint into an FIR is pending.
The confrontation took place a day before the winter session concluded, prompting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to ban any demonstrations by MPs or political parties at Parliament’s gates, as per parliamentary sources.
The BJP has maintained that Gandhi and other Congress MPs were involved in an act of aggression, while the Congress strongly denies the charges, claiming its leaders, including Kharge and Gandhi, were instead physically manhandled by the BJP MPs.