A special investigation team of the Delhi police on Saturday night arrested seven accused, including Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan and an assistant sub-inspector, in connection with the suicide of an AAP woman volunteer earlier this month.
“The seven accused, including AAP MLA Sharad Chauhan and the Delhi police ASI Mukhtiyar Singh, were arrested in connection with the suicide of the party worker in Narela late on Saturday night,” said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime).
The accused were arrested under charges of Sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and some provisions of IT Act, Mr Yadav said. The main accused in the case, Ramesh Bhardwaj, was arrested in Sonepat on July 26.
Mr Yadav, who headed the SIT formed to arrest the accused, said there was evidence to prove that the AAP MLA, who earlier was a MCD councillor for the BSP, was fully supporting Ramesh Bhardwaj along with his associates, including his personal assistant Amit, Rajnikant, Mohan Verma and Sanjay, who were also arrested.
“The victim was terrorised and defamed by the accused in her neighbourhood to the point that she was forced to commit suicide. We have collected scientific evidence, which we will produce in the court,” Mr Yadav said.
The arrested accused were produced in a court on Sunday, which sent them to judicial custody. The victim had lodged a complaint against Ramesh Bhardwaj, a fellow AAP worker and close associate of Mr Chauhan, on the basis of which a molestation case was registered on June 2.
He was arrested in the case, but was released on bail with the help of the accused ASI who was investigating officer of the case.
The victim was depressed by this and when efforts were made to defame and threaten her and her family, she contacted senior AAP leaders but everyone asked her to compromise, said Mr Yadav.
“She went to party office and to chief minister’s office and residence. At party office, in presence of Dilip Pandey, Delhi AAP convener, and the MLA Chauhan, Bhardwaj was asked to seek pardon from her and she was asked to compromise as the party was a family,” he said.
But the attempts to “defame” and “terrorise” the woman continued, he added. There is evidence that the MLA was involved in the “planning” to “defame and pressurise” the woman to withdraw the molestation case against Bhardwaj and all the accused were following his “directions,” he said.
Accused Mohan Verma, Sanjay and Bhardwaj allegedly taped a “fake” conversation in which the latter was asked to pay '15 lakh so that the woman could be taken off his back.
A CD was prepared of the fake conversation and it was posted in WhatsApp groups of mediapersons and activists to “defame” the woman by alleging that she was seeking money.
Later, the accused also lodged four complaints against the woman charging her of seeking money to withdraw her case with the help of arrested police official, said the officer.
Accused Mohan had also acting as a sympathiser of the woman had allegedly watered down her complaint removing the molestation charge, on which a case was registered on June 2. After her statement before the magistrate, the police added non-bailable sections to the case, he said.
The woman had filed complaint against Ramesh Bhardwaj as he had allegedly tried to molest her in his vehicle while going to and returning from a party programme on December 31, 2015.
ASI Mukhtiyar and Virender helped Bhardwaj in getting bail. Also, the ASI helped Bhardwaj in filing complaints against the woman. Virender, earlier jailed in a case of NSA, was roped in to terrorise her.
The AAP MLA had got Bhardwaj appointed as his nominee in the school management committee of a local government school. Bhardwaj also was actively helping him in his meetings and other activities, said the police officer.
Accused Rajnikant was close to the MLA and although a teacher, he was allegedly unofficially made coordinator of schools in five constituencies by Mr Chauhan, he said.
Accused Amit and Rajnilant were allegedly involved in preparing the CD to defame the woman and were involved in cornering her to withdraw her case against Bhardwaj.
The plight of the victim was recorded in her WhatsApp messages, her video recorded statement before death as well as statements of her two daughters given to the police and a magistrate, added the officer.
