Protests erupted in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri Monday a day after a car hit a woman’s scooter and dragged her body for 12 kilometres with locals accusing the police of trying to cover up a rape case by treating it as an accident.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed it the “rarest of rare crime” and demanded the strictest punishment for those behind the incident, while L-G V K Saxena said his head hung in shame over the “inhuman” crime.
Police said a medical board has been constituted to conduct the post-mortem. Based on the post-mortem report, fresh charges could be added against the five accused arrested in connection with the case, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda said at a press conference.
The accused have been booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence and criminal conspiracy.
Scores of protesters gathered outside the Sultanpuri Police Station on Monday and blocked traffic demanding punishment for those responsible for the woman’s death. A person, who claimed to be an eyewitness to the incident, alleged the woman’s body was dragged for over one-and-half hours.
A video purportedly showing the woman’s body without clothes and broken legs has also surfaced on social media.
The AAP on Monday attacked BJP alleging that one of the accused in the Sultanpuri car accident case – Manoj Mittal – is linked to it and also picketed the Delhi Lieutenant Governor for being “negligent” in the matter.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj shared a video with media claiming that a hoarding outside the Sultanpuri Police Station, where the accused is currently lodged, bears the picture of Mittal.
On the other hand, several other AAP leaders and workers gathered outside Saxena’s residence at Civil Lines and demanded his resignation.
“Police are trying to cover up the matter because one of the culprits is a BJP member. The DCP is covering up the case saying the music in the car was so loud that the perpetrators didn’t notice a girl was stuck in their car.
“How is it possible that the girl’s clothes were missing when her body was recovered? There should be an investigation into this matter,” Bhardwaj said.
Staging protest outside Raj Niwas, AAP MLA Atishi alleged that the incident has “exposed” the Delhi Police and the LG.
“The LG has been negligent about the incident. His only focus is to interfere in the work of the Delhi government. The women in Delhi are not safe. It is the job of the LG to improve law and order, but all he does is politics. VK Saxena should resign if he cannot provide security to the women of Delhi,” she alleged.
Around 200 AAP leaders and workers gathered outside Raj Niwas at Civil Lines and raised slogans seeking answers over the incident and demanding the LG’s resignation.
Security around Saxena’s residence has been beefed up with barricades and the deployment of water canons.
“The LG and Delhi Police are trying to save the BJP leader. Even after such a gruesome incident, the Delhi Police has booked the accused under minor sections,” Pathak claimed.
Responding to the allegations, Delhi BJP’s media cell head Harish Khurana claimed that the AAP is “politicising” the Sultanpuri incident and that their party strongly the whole incident and demands death for all guilty.
“Saurabh Bhardwaj calling the Sultanpuri incident collusion between BJP and LG is very shameful. BJP strongly opposes this entire incident and demands the hanging of all the accused involved in it.
“Instead of doing politics, AAP should get the entire matter investigated through a fast-track court,” Khurana said.
PTI could not independently check the veracity of the video. The footage also led to claims that the victim was raped and killed, but police have maintained it was an accident.
