A day after AAP MLA from Delhi Cantonment Surinder Singh was booked for allegedly abusing and beating up a worker of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), police on Thursday served him a notice for not turning up for questioning. “He did not turn up for questioning. We served a notice to his family, asking him to join the investigation on Saturday,” said Vijay Singh, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), New Delhi district. When The Indian Express tried to contact the MLA on Thursday evening, he did not take the calls. Later, his phone was not reachable. [related-post] On Wednesday, the MLA, his driver and an employee allegedly abused and beat up the worker at around 6.30 pm near the Race Course Road signal where NDMC employees were conducting routine checks. “An NDMC worker asked a vegetable vendor not to park his cart near the signal. Suddenly, Singh intervened and started arguing with the civic workers. A fight ensued, during which the MLA’s driver and employee beat up the NDMC worker. The MLA verbally abused the worker over his caste and threatened him with dire consequences,” the DCP said. “The NDMC employee was injured in his left eye. He was rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and was later discharged,” added the DCP. A case was registered against the MLA, his driver and employee at the Tughlaq Road police station under sections 332, 353, 367, 186, 511, 506 and 34 of the IPC and under section 3(10) of the SC/ST Act. On Thursday, the vendor lodged a complaint at the Tughlaq Road police station. “The complaint doesn’t mention anybody’s name. The vendor said he was beaten up by some people,” said the DCP. The MLA has claimed neither did he abuse the NDMC worker, nor did his driver and employee assault him. He claimed that the NDMC workers were thrashing the vegetable vendor, and he had merely tried to stop them. “Around 6.15 pm, I saw NDMC workers of the health and enforcement department manhandling the vendor. They were slapping him. His cart had been pushed to one side and the vegetables were scattered on the road,” he claimed. Singh added, “The NDMC workers were demanding Rs 3,000 from the vendor. I questioned him over the act, but did not get a proper reply. We never beat up anyone. There were around 20 of them, why should we beat them?”
