Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain on Tuesday accused the Delhi Police of dilly-dallying and not investigating his complaint about being mobbed and assaulted by some officials inside the Players Building, a day after the alleged attack on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. Hussain, through his counsel, submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra that despite being given the names of his attackers, the Delhi Police has not taken any action on his complaint.
“Counsel for applicant submits that investigation is not conducted properly. He submits that the complainant in the FIR clearly mentioned the names of the persons, who attacked him, but, no action has been taken by police so far,” the magistrate noted in his order.
However, the Delhi Police submitted its status report on the investigation so far and informed that the hard disk containing the CCTV footage of the alleged incident has been sent to the forensic lab for examination. It also said the process of identifying the culprits was still going on and appropriate action would be taken thereafter.
The court, after hearing the two sides, put up the matter for further proceedings on May 19.
Hussain had lodged a complaint claiming he was mobbed by some Delhi government officials, who raised slogans and prevented him from taking the elevator to his 6th floor office at the Delhi Secretariat on February 20 -- the day after alleged assault on the Chief Secretary.
The court had earlier expressed satisfaction over the ongoing probe into the case with the police assuring it that efforts were on to identify the culprits. It had directed police to preserve all CCTV footage relevant to the alleged assault and ensure a fair investigation.
The court had said the CCTV footage prima-facie showed the Minister being surrounded by a “herd of people and thereafter criminal force was used against him as well as his staff”.
After viewing the CCTV footage submitted by the Minister, the court had said it was clear that he was restrained in the lift, a huge crowd was present and criminal force was used. It had also directed police to examine Hussain to ascertain the names of persons who had allegedly attacked him.
Police had earlier told the court that notices have been issued to 14 people to join investigation in the matter. Hussain had, however, alleged that the investigation was being conducted at a snail’s pace.
The Minister, in his complaint, had said he was restrained from going to his office and his mobile phone was snatched during the incident. The Delhi Government Employees Association had refuted the allegations and claimed that Hussain had arrived at the secretariat on February 20 when sloganeering was going on against the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary but nobody manhandled him.