A court in Delhi on Thursday sent Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal to 14 days in judicial custody on Thursday, ANI reported. The legislators, accused of manhandling Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, will remain in Tihar Jail in Delhi. The court will hear their petitions seeking bail on Friday.
Prakash had alleged that some MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party had assaulted him at a meeting at the chief minister’s residence in Flagstaff Road in Delhi’s Civil Lines late on Monday night. Prakash claimed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was present at the time of the incident. On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal told the Centre that the incident reflected a breakdown between bureaucrats and the political leadership in Delhi.
Earlier on Thursday, members of AAP protested outside Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s home after he condemned the alleged assault of the chief secretary. Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party also protested against the AAP outside Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s house on Thursday, demanding Kejriwal’s resignation as chief minister. They claimed Kejriwal was present at the time the two AAP MLAs allegedly assaulted the Delhi chief secretary, so he must take responsibility for the incident.
After a body of Indian Administrative Services Officers protested against Prakash’s alleged assault, the home minister had said “civil servants should be allowed to work with dignity and without fear”, and that the Home Affairs Ministry had sought a report from Baijal.
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