Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi legislator Somnath Bharti has been arrested and sent to judicial custody for 14 days for allegedly making objectionable remarks against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while commenting on the condition of hospitals in the state.
Two FIRs have been registered against the leader. One FIR is registered by a Bharatiya Janata Party member Somnath Sahu in Jagdishpur Police Station in Amethi over Bharti’s indecent remarks against CM Yogi.
Another FIR has been lodged by the Kotwali Station House Officer Atul Kumar Singh for misbehaving with the police and threatening them to strip them off their uniforms. The police also alleged that instead of cooperating with the police, he started misbehaving with the police personnel.
The complaint is lodged under relevant sections of IPC including “voluntarily causing hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty, rioting, assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty and others”.
AAP leader Somnath Bharti was on his way to visit a government school in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was staying in a guest house and the police didn’t allow the legislator to move out citing the reason that the neighboring Amethi police is going to question him and arrest him for his derogatory statements against CM Yogi in a purported video clip of Saturday. Commenting on the dismal condition of the hospitals in the state, Somnath Bharti can be heard saying in the video, “Children are being born in hospitals, but they are of dogs.”
The whole incident led to an altercation between the police and the AAP leader. During the heated argument, few right-wing activists also reached the spot. One of them hurled ink on Somnath Bharti.
In a 23-second purported video clip, the AAP leader can be heard saying that Yogi’s death is imminent. The person who threw ink on the leader was detained but was released later as they claimed that no complaint was registered against him.
“You get ink thrown, you get goons to attack me, you get false cases filed, you get pressure put on courts and get me sent to jail. Yogi ji, we will fight,” tweeted Somnath Bharti.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal came in support of the leader and tweeted, “Yogiji, our MLA Somnath Bharti ji was going to see your government school. Ink was thrown at him? Are your schools so bad? If someone goes to see your school then why do you get so scared? Fix the school.” CM Kejriwal also asked him to consult Delhi’s Deputy CM if they don’t know how to do it.
