The lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung has forwarded the retired (ADJ) Bl Garg Commission of Inquiry report to the State Home Department for comments and action against former law Minister Somnath Bharti for the unsavoury controversy pertaining to his midnight raid in Khirki Extension involving Ugandan nationals on January 15 and 16.
Justifying the response of Delhi Police, the Commission of Inquiry found that the police action was totally adequate as per circumstances and has virtually given the cops a clean chit in the incident. The Commission of Inquiry in its report recommended proceedings for the offence of obstructing a public servant in discharging public functions under Section 186 of IPC.
“The report has questioned the conduct of the Minister (Somnath Bharti) and has exonerated clean chit to Delhi Police in the incident. One of the charges is obstructing public servants in discharge of public functions besides other misdoings,” said officials. In a related development, the lieutenant-Governor has forwarded the report to Home Department for their comment. “It is up to the lieutenant-Governor to take action on the report,” said officials. On the other hand, sources in the Government said that senior officials of Delhi Government are apprehensive about suggesting penal action against the former law Minister Somnath Bharti, as they fear reprisal in the event of the AAP reclaiming powers in Players Building.
The inquiry report may be a big blow to the AAP leader and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had defended Bharti’s act and even Kejriwal had sat on dharna at Rail Bhavan in protest demanding suspension of police officials who defied the order of Bharti. The Congress and the BJP had demanded the resignation of Bharti over the midnight raid and had disrupted the Assembly proceedings over this issue.
The raid by Bharti and his supporters had targeted Ugandan women, who Bharti had claimed were part of a drug and prostitution racket in Khirki Extension, South Delhi. The same night, Rakhi Birla, who was then the Women and Child Welfare Minister, tried to force the police to arrest suspects involved in an alleged dowry harassment case. Bharti and the AAP supporters went to Khirki Extension after locals repeatedly complained about a drug and prostitution racket from a rented house there. Bharti had claimed that the police did not act on the locals’ complaints, which is why he personally went to the area with a police PCR team. When they reached the place, police refused to raid the alleged house or make any arrests. But on Bharti’s insistence, the police took a few Ugandan women to a hospital for tests and released them later.