A day after an FIR was registered against AAP MlA Somnath Bharti over a complaint of domestic violence and attempt to murder, his wife lipika Mitra “expressed gratitude” to the Delhi Police for taking action on her complaint.
She said while the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is backing Bharti, but lipika “doesn’t exist” for the CM.
Accompanied by former DCW chairperson Barkha Shukla Singh, lipika met Senior Special Commissioner of Police Deepak Mishra (law and Order) at Delhi Police Headquarters on Friday.
She said, “Even though it has taken three months for them to file an FIR, they have now done the needful. My husband is a powerful man and has the backing of the Chief Minister. But for the CM, lipika Mitra doesn’t exist. So, I have come to express my gratitude to them (Delhi Police).”
Claiming after the meeting that she is “very sad with whatever is happening”, lipika said, “What am I achieving ultimatelyIJ I will lose my husband; my children will lose their father. I am not happy with the development, but had to do all this to come out of the abuse.”
Asked to comment on the attempt to murder charge in the FIR, lipika said, “He (Bharti) had tried to strangulate me when I was pregnant. These are facts, and I have given enough evidence to police.”
The FIR was registered on Thursday at Dwarka North police station under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 498(a) (cruelty towards partner in marriage), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC, Joint Commissioner of Police (South-West) Dependra Pathak had said.
In her complaint to police and DCW, lipika alleged that there was a “persistent threat to her life” from Bharti.
The Delhi Police had sent a notice on Thursday night to Bharti asking him to come for questioning on Friday to Dwarka North police station. Following the registration of the FIR, a Delhi court had on Thursday recorded the statement of lipika before Metropolitan Magistrate Manu Goel Kharb in-chamber under Section 164 of CrPC.
“The double standards that that these people are showing is ridiculous. He (Somnath) is talking about women empowerment while being not fair to his own wife,” she said.
lipika further said, “By now people know I have no political interest or monetary interest. I am very low profile woman. He started making statements assassinating my character, then I had to come out and speak for my dignity.”
Barkha Shukla Singh, who had accompanied lipika, said the latter had come to her with her complaint when she was the chairperson of DCW and it was her duty to help and support her.
The latest FIR comes following four failed attempts of mediation between the former Delhi law Minister and his wife and lipika’s insistence on police action against him.
A court had on July 7 dismissed an anticipatory bail plea moved by Bharti saying the application was premature since no FIR had been lodged against him then.
lipika had also filed a 26-page complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on June 10 in this regard alleging that her husband had been abusing her ever since their marriage in 2010.
She mentioned that her husband used to unleash dogs on her when she was in seventh month into her pregnancy and also accused him of strangulating her in 2013. She also alleged that Bharti once forced her to abort and that she tried to slit her wrist.