The Delhi Police has opposed in the Delhi High Court the bail plea of an accused, who allegedly pointed a pistol at a police head constable during the communal violence in the national capital's northeast area in February 2020, saying he has a criminal family history and the witnesses can be adversely influenced by him.
The police said accused Shahrukh Pathan can threaten and endangerthe safety of prosecution witnesses and abscond, if granted bail, and can also hamper the process of investigation and may destroy the evidence.
The police made the submission in a status report filed before Justice Prateek Jalan while opposing the bail plea of Pathan. It claimed that the accused has no remorse for his illegal actions. The case relates to rioting, causing injuries to police personnel and gunshot injury sustained by one Rohit Shukla by an armed mob in the Jafrabad area in North East Delhi.The status report stated that "the accused has been keeping illegal arm and ammunition and has no remorse for his illegal act. His daring
act of firing at a policeman and the public shows that if released on bail, he can repeat such a criminal act.
" It further said there are police and public witnesses who have identified him and from the criminal family history background and desperatenature of the accused, it can be evidently inferred that the witnesses can be adversely influenced by him.
The report said the statement of the eyewitnesses and seized CCTV footage establishes that Pathan was leading the mob and indulged in the act of rioting on February 24, 2020, during which he fired at the complainant and public from his pistol.