Arrested BJP workers given rousing welcome at court premises

The court premises echoed with slogans like Vande Mataram and mar mitenge desh ke liye, which rent the air as the supporters went around garlanding those who have been named in the FIR. All these happened as they were escorted from the courtroom to the police lockup.

 

Delhi BJP president Harshvardhan and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagdish Mukhi also came to attend the court hearing and extended their full support to the arrested party workers. The city court on Monday reserved its order on the bail plea of 14 arrested BJP workers, including six councillors and two ex-MLAs for Tuesday and sent them for one-day judicial custody. The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar heard the arguments of both the prosecution and the defence on the bail application moved by the defence counsel and reserved its order for Tuesday.

 

The bail application moved by the defence counsel KK Sud, Pinky Anand and Ajay Digpaul stated that the perpetration of the attack had been on the part of the CPI(M) and that the BJP workers had only gone for a peaceful protest.

 

However, the prosecution alleged that the BJP workers attacked the CPI(M) office by allegedly throwing stones that were taken from the street.

 

Arguing before the court, Pinky Anand, the counsel for the accused said, “the BJP workers had gone to the CPI(M) office to hold a peaceful protest against the killings of RSS workers in Kerela. The police had already been informed by the BJP workers that they were going to hold protest outside the office of the CPI(M).”

 

She further said that none of the BJP workers carrying any weapons of any sort and the attack was initiated by the CPI(M) workers. To buttress its arguments, the defence also submitted a video recording of the incident done by the Zee News.

 

Speaking to The Pioneer, Pinky Anand said, “There is no question of unlawful assembly as the police was already informed. Moreover, soon after the incident, the BJP workers at 4.25 pm had gone to register the complaint against the CPI(M) workers. However, the police took no action and instead lodged an FIR against the BJP workers at 5.10 pm at the behest of the eminent CPI(M) leaders.”

 

Harshvardhan, in a petition to President Pratibha Patil, has demanded that Home Mnister Shivraj Patil be told to issue orders to lodge FIR against CPI(M) leaders Sitaram Yechuri and Prakash Karat. He alleged the Home Minister was pressurising the Delhi Police to protect the Communist leaders. “Even after 28 hours of the incident, the Delhi Police has not lodged the FIR as requested by the BJP,” he stated in the plea sent to the President, Chief Justice of India and National Human Rights Commission.

 

A delegation of the BJP leaders led by Harshvardan met the Police Commissioner demanding an immediate action.

 

As many as 14 persons, including two former BJP MLAs Ram Niwas Goyal and Jeet Ram Solanki, were arrested on Sunday after they allegedly indulged in stone-pelting at the CPI(M) headquarters and also clashed with the police and Left party workers. Over two dozen BJP and CPI(M) workers were injured in the clash that happened on Sunday.