‘Inflammatory speech’ against govt officers: AAP MLA booked

“The case against the Uttam Nagar MLA was registered on Saturday at Dabri police station. We booked the MLA after a policeman on duty registered a complaint, after hearing his speech at a JJ colony in Bindapur on February 23,” the officer said.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | February 26, 2018 02:21 AM IST

3 min read

Delhi Court discharges AAP MLA Naresh Balyan

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Naresh Balyan. Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh

Days after he claimed that public servants who delay or refuse to work should be beaten up, AAP MLA Naresh Balyan has been booked by police for his alleged “inflammatory speech” against government officials. According to a senior police officer, the MLA has not been arrested yet. Police said they have booked him under “charges of threat to public servants, making statements conducing to public mischief, abetting of an offence and obstructing public servants from performing their duties”.

Balyan’s comments were made against the backdrop of the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash. In his complaint, the policeman alleged that Balyan was making an “aggressive” speech, saying that officials should be beaten up, and that people in the crowd were nodding. The event, where the MLA made the comments, was attended by CM Arvind Kejriwal and Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam.

Even as the AAP distanced itself from his comment, Balyan had said that he stands by his statement. Police said this is not the first time Balyan has been named in a police complaint. In October 2016, the MLA was arrested on charges of assault after former AAP volunteer and president of the Mohan Garden RWA, Henry George, had accused Balyan and his associate of assaulting and threatening him. In the run-up to the 2015 Assembly polls, he was embroiled in a case of liquor being seized near his residence.

Meanwhile, police filed a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) against an AAP leader based on a complaint by BJP leader Vijender Gupta. The NCR, under the charge of criminal intimidation, was registered at Parliament Street police station against the leader on Saturday night, after Gupta claimed he was threatened with assault on Twitter. “We have taken note of the complaint. We have not yet registered an FIR,” an officer said.

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